Karnataka Forest Minister R Shankar garlanded a new statue of M Visvesvaraya, but he was clueless when questioned whose statue it was. The incident took place when locals insisted that the minister pays a visit to newly erected statue at Muddenahalli, the birthplace of Visvesvaraya.
Shankar was in the district to attend a review meeting and check on the progress of Visvesvaraya Institute of Advanced Technology. When the media asked Shankar about his engagements in the district, he listed them but seemed confused whose statue he had garlanded. To reduce further embarrassment, he turned to his personal staff who told him it was Visvesvaraya.
Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya is one of India’s most revered engineers. In addition to the ‘Sir’ title accorded to him by the British, he has been awarded the Bharat Ratna (1955) for his work in creating flood proof systems in cities like Hyderabad and was made the Diwan of Mysore (1912-1918).
His birth anniversary is celebrated as Engineers’ Day in the country. Most of his notable works include the Krishna Raja Sagara Lake and dam, which was the largest dam in the country in those times (1924). He is also credited with the construction of several dams, reservoirs and hydro-power projects across several southern Indian states.
He was the pioneer of the Block System – automated doors that close when there is an overflow.
