National Engineer’s Day

National Engineer’s Day
National Engineer’s Day

Introduction

Globally, Engineer’s Day is celebrated on different dates of the year. The World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) had designated 4th March as the date for celebrating World Engineer’s Day in 1996. However, it was internationally proclaimed by UNESCO and finally accepted globally just last year. While International Engineer’s Day was recently declared in 2020, India has been celebrating its engineers for the last five decades.

The majority of us Indians have always had a lot of respect for civil and mechanical engineering, thus, having celebrated our National Engineer’s Day since 1968. The reason why we have been so grateful to our engineers is due to them we have experienced enormous economic and architectural development in the last few decades.

Engineers are the pillars of our society, being at the forefront of working to improve our digital and physical infrastructure. On average, India produces 15,00,000 engineers every year. Our country celebrates its National Engineer’s Day on the 15 of September every year. This day had been specifically chosen in order to pay tribute to Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, one of the most highly regarded civil engineers and visionaries to have ever existed.


He was one of the core people responsible for the development of modern India and a recipient of Bharat Ratna. This great nation builder was born on the 15th of September in 1861. Thus, September 15 was chosen as National Engineer’s Day.

Who was Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya?

Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was born in Muddenahalli, Karnataka, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Madras. Later on, he finished studying civil engineering from the Pune College of Science with his first major project being the installation of an irrigation system powered by water floodgates at the Khadakwasla reservoir.

This patented irrigation system allowed food supply and storage to become more efficient, being adopted later at one of the largest reservoirs in Asia at that time, Mysore’s Krishnaraja Dam and even Gwalior’s Tigra Dam. He also served as the 19th Diwan of Mysore and was responsible for founding The State Bank of Mysore, Bangalore Agricultural University, Mysore Iron and Steel Works, and many more organisations that provided jobs to thousands even then.

Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was largely responsible for laying the foundation for one of the first engineering colleges in India, the Government Engineering College of Bangalore. This institute was founded in 1917 and is now known as the University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE). He was also knighted in 1915 by King George V and assumed the role of commander of the British Indian Empire.

This great man started his career spanning more than 34 years as an assistant engineer in the Government of Bombay’s Public Works Department. Soon, he became the chief engineer responsible for the construction of Krishna Raja Sagara Dam in Mysore. With his extensive contribution to Mysore, he was eventually known as the ‘father of modern Mysore state’.

He was involved in multiple modern civil engineering projects during his career and finally retired as one of the board directors of Tata Steel after serving this Indian conglomerate from 1927 to 1955. He has multiple honorary doctoral degrees from various universities across India and was recognised as the leading personality in science and engineering by well-reputed organisations.

He passed away in 1962 but his legacy remains and India will continue celebrating him through National Engineer’s Day. Sri Lanka and Tanzania to celebrate this date as their Engineer’s Day.

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Celebrating our Nation’s Engineers

With the world relying on technology and the internet now more than ever, all eyes are on our engineers to help our nation advance further in these domains. Information and telecommunications completely depend on our fellow software engineers while infrastructural development is supported by our electrical and civil engineers.

Even mechanical engineers and individuals working in fields such as robotics, biotechnology, and aeronautics are all highly looked up to. These people are the backbone of our country and the harbingers of our success in the near future. The 15th of September serves as a reminder of the effort and hard work thousands of engineers have put in for the advancement of our nation.

Engineers not only change the world around them by working on national projects (public interest) but also bring in more foreign companies looking for skilled human assets into their country, thus expanding our future scope and economy. 

Here are some more Indian engineers who have made us proud:

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do we celebrate National Engineer’s Day?

We celebrate National Engineer’s Day to celebrate all our engineers who have been working for the betterment of our nation and to remember Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya.

Is there a National Engineer’s Day?

Yes, India has been celebrating National Engineer’s Day since 1968. We also celebrated National Engineer’s Day in India (2020) with a bang.

Is there an Engineer Appreciation Day?

Yes, most countries have their own Engineer Appreciation Day. As a matter of fact, the United States holds its National Engineers Week every year to celebrate the week encompassing George Washington’s birthday. The country proceeds to appreciate and celebrate its engineers from 20th February all the way till 26th February.

Who is the first engineer of India?

The first well-recognised engineer of India was Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya who has enjoyed international acclamation. However, there were many scientists and engineers in India during ancient times, long before Christ was born. Thus, it is quite hard to determine who was the first engineer in India, considering that the country boasted of arithmetic and an understanding of sciences long before any other civilisation in history.

Who was the first engineer?

The first engineer who has been recorded in history is Imhotep. He is responsible for building the Step Pyramid of Saqqara, Egypt. He is said to have accomplished the feat in 2550 BC.

Who is the father of engineering?

In India, the father of engineering is the one and only Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya. However, historically, there were many great ancient Egyptian, Persian, Greek, Indian and Roman builders or scientists who can also be justifiably referred to as the father of engineering.

When is Engineer’s Day celebrated in India?

Engineer’s Day in India is celebrated on the 15th of September. The whole nation will be celebrating Engineer’s Day in India in 2021 on this day.

How can we celebrate our engineers?

We can pay our regards to the great engineers who have shaped our country. Also, we can congratulate or wish all the engineers we personally know.

When is World Engineer’s Day 2021?

International Engineer’s Day 2021 was celebrated on the 4th of March. UNESCO officially declared this day World Engineer’s Day in 2020.

Key Takeaway

Engineers are responsible for the future of our country. Their diverse paths lead to revolutionary changes in our nation in the long run. The contributions engineers make are crucial to this nation and we are proud of all the talented engineers that our country has churned out through these years.

We at Coding Ninjas wish all you engineers out there a very special National Engineer’s Day. We hope that you achieve great things and continue to work towards pushing our country to new heights.