Technology Vision of Sir M.V-converted

Technology Vision Of Sir M.Visvesvaraya An inspirational Picture Book for Engineers & Engineering Aspirants By Dr. M.P.Chowdiah Director Emeritus NTTF PG School & Dr.N.Ramani Emeritus Head Technology NTTF 1 /1/1667

Foreword India is in the process of transforming itself from a Developing Nation into a global economic force, in the recent past. If India is to achieve its coveted goals, we need to apply technology in all fields of human endeavor, be it Energy, Water, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Trade, IT etc. Sir MV’s most quoted words are “Industrialize or Perish”; he envisioned India achieving a great status by the application of technology. Throughout his life, he stood like a colossus for whatever principles he thought an ideal engineer should posses, to be not only successful in his field but also contribute the Greatness of the Nation. 2 /1/1667

Foreword By the clever arrangement of pictures and paragraphs, this book by Prof. M.P.Chowdiah & Dr.N.Ramani of NTTF School of Postgraduate Studies, Bangalore should prove to be an inspirational one for all engineers & engineering students of India. May Sir MV’s illuminating life throw a strong light in the path of progress of every young engineer of India. Dr.C.G.Krishnadas Nair Former Chairman Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Bangalore 3 /1/1667

Preface \"Technology Vision of Sir. M.V.\" is a dream child of Prof. M.P. Chowdaiah and Dr. N.Ramani who have delivered lectures on Sir. M.V. at Sheshadripuram College and at the Institution of Engineers (India), Bangalore respectively in 2011. Their words were not lost in the air; rather they were given a ‘local habitation and a name' and the end product is what we have in our hands: a mirror of reflections of visions of Sir Mokshagondam Visvesvaraya. Sir MV was indeed a visionary - a 'daarshanika' who could penetrate into the future and organize it with great imagination and intelligence. The ambit of his vision was not confined to himself; it would take in the whole society, the whole nation and also the world. The authors rightly call him not merely the great son of India, but also the great sun of India. 4 /1/1667

Preface Sir MV is a 'modern' visionary; his tool is technology – practical / industrial use of scientific discoveries. \"Science\", says he, \"is a rising force: it is creating a new world about us that needs to be watched and pressed into service and in any case, it would be courting disaster to ignore it\". (Fig 93) What fascinated me at the very outset was the unique pattern of this book. Here you find every thing: all-in-one; the career graph of Sir MV; the honours and awards showered on him all the world over; his apt sayings; his meticulous plans for nation building; his rare insights into human mind and behaviour and his dreams for a better tomorrow. All these are woven into a beautiful structure like in a \"collage\". It is a journey both ways - into Sir MV. and beyond him. Fig 76 presents an interesting juxta-position: Sir MV and Mahatma Gandhi with their convictions. Two diametrically opposing ideas coming from two great visionaries of India. It is just an illustration of the truth: diameter- connects the points of the same circle! 5 /1/1667

Preface Sir MV., it must be remembered, played a major role in the setting up of Kannada Sahitya Parishat in 1915 – a pioneer cultural institution of Karnataka. The unique presentation format, aimed at a light, easy and happy reading, does meet the noble objective of the authors on a \"large\" scale. It is not just the printed words: it is the 'look' of the book that makes it so attractive. I'm grateful to both the professors for the opportunity they have given me to pen a few words by way of a preface. D.H. SHANKARAMURTHY Former Chairman Karnataka Legislative Council 6 /1/1667

Introduction N.Ramani and M.P.Chowdiah were asked to speak to Institution of Engineers (India) and at Seshadripuram College, Bangalore respectively on “Technology Vision of Sir MV” during the month long celebration of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Sir M.Visvesvaraya, which started on 15th September 2010. After the presentations, Prof.M.P.Chowdiah suggested that we together should make the presentation in the form of a book, whose main objective is to inspire engineering students of India to achieve great heights in their lives. The authors would feel immensely happy, if this noble objective is even met only on a small scale. We never cease to wonder as to how much energy and enthusiasm Sir MV should have possessed, to leave his footprint on so many places in India and abroad. 7 /1/1667

Introduction We all know that Sir Isaac Newton had made revolutionary advances in Mathematics, Optics, Physics, and Astronomy. Once Newton was asked by an interviewer, “How did you achieve so many diverse things in life?” Newton replied, “By thinking!” Interviewer: “Sir Newton! I don’t understand”. Newton: “By thinking of nothing else!”. Interviewer: “Now, I understand”. We believe that to have achieved so many things in his life, Sir MV also should have also thought of “Nothing Else”. 8 /1/1667

Length of Life vs. Achievements 1 2 High ACHIEVEMENTS 34 Low The reader will know many instances of persons to fill the 3. & 4. quadrants Short Long Figure 1 LIFE 9 /1/1667

Length of Life vs. Achievements Length of one’s life and amount of achievement in one’s life are orthogonal, in the sense that there is no direct correlation between the two factors, as seen in figure 1. Referring to quadrant 1, one may live a very short life and still achieve many great things (an excellent example is Swami Vivekananda who, in his short life span of only 39 years made an indelible mark about Hinduism throughout the world). A fitting example of the combination of a long span of life with numerous achievements is Sri M.V (quadrant 2). One can lead a long or short life and may not achieve anything worthwhile, as depicted in quadrants 3 and 4.(many examples may come to your mind). There is a saying, “Add Life to your years rather than years to your life”. 10 /1/1667

Sir MV always had a Global Vision, true to his name!* *Visva = World in Sanskrit Figure 2 11 /1/1667

Meanings of the Two Terms ‘Technology’ & ‘Vision’ The dictionary meanings of the two terms ‘Technology’ and ‘Vision’ are as follows: 1. Technology = Practical / Industrial Use of Scientific Discoveries 2. Vision = Ability to imagine how a country, society, industry could develop in future & to plan in a suitable way. There is an anonymous but beautiful saying, “We are limited not by our abilities but by our vision”. Sir MV fortunately, had abundance of both. As a matter of fact, his name in Sanskrit means “Global Visionary”; he lived true to his name! (Figure 2) 12 /1/1667

Paropakaryaya idam Sariram (Sanskrit) 3.2. “Paropakaryaya phalanthi vrulkshaha” 3.1. “Paropakaryaya bahanthi Nadhyaha” (Trees bear fruits for others) (Rivers flow for others) 3.4. “Paropakaraya idam sariram” 3.3 “Paropakaryaya (Purpose of life is to dhuhanthi benefit humanity) gavaha” 13 /1/1667 (Cows yield Milk for others) Figure 3

Paropakaryaya idam Sariram (Sanskrit) In Ramayana it is said that the first lesson taught by sage Viswamithra to Sri Rama was: 1. “Paropakaryaya bahanthi Nadhyaha” (= rivers flow for others) 2. “Paropakaryaya phalanthi vrukshaha” (= trees bear fruits for others) 3. “Paropakaryaya dhuhanthi gavaha” (= cows yield milk for others) Sri Ram was then asked, “what do we learn from this?”. Rama replied, “Paropakaryaya idam sariram” (= purpose of life is to benefit humanity) (Figure 3) Sir MV was a living embodiment of this highest ideal. 14 /1/1667

Paropakaryaya idam Sariram (Sanskrit) His life and work are a constant source of inspiration for all generations to come. He was an Engineer of International reputation, a Statesman of great Eminence, an Administrator par Excellence and above all an ardent Patriot. Every field of activity, with which he was associated, bears the indelible imprint of his conscientious and hard work. He was a man of high principles and he led a disciplined and orderly life. He laid the foundation for a prosperous and progressive future of India. His enduring desire was that India should rank high among the great industrial nations of the world. “The greatest mausoleum of the dead is the heart of the living”. Sir MV continues to live in our heart and inspire all of us to achieve more and more. Purposely the presentation format is aimed at light and easy reading. Dear Reader! Happy Reading. 15 /1/1667

Paropakaryaya idam Sariram (Sanskrit) As a child I once read in a children’s magazine the following anecdote about Sir MV. He always used to have two different color pens, when he was with Bombay PWD. Somebody asked him for the reason. He replied, “One I use for office work, and the other for home”. “Why not one pen sir?” he was asked. He said, “Green color ink for office use and blue ink for home use”. Undeterred, the person asked him, “why not the same color ink for both sir?”. Calmly Sir MV answered, “Green ink comes from PWD office. Blue ink is from my home” He never used office property for personal use! This anecdote makes a very deep impression on us. We are always reminded of this incident, whenever we hear his name being mentioned. M.P.Chowdiah N.Ramani 2020 09 15 160th Birthday of Sir MV 16 /1/1667

Sir MV’s Education 17 /1/1667

Early Life & Studies: 15th September 1860 : Born at Muddenahalli, a small village adjoining Nandi Hills, near Bangalore city 1866 - 1871 : Primary School at Muddenahalli 1871 -1875 : School at Chikballapur 1875 - 1878 : Weslin Mission School , Bangalore 1878 - 1881 : Central College Bangalore, B.A I class 1881 - 1883 : Engineering College Pune, First Rank in Bombay Presidency, winning the James Berkley Medal in civil engineering Figure 4 18 /1/1667

Gist of distinguished Service rendered by Sir MV to PWD Bombay Presidency over ~25 years 19 /1/1667

Gist of distinguished Service rendered by Sir MV to PWD Bombay Presidency over ~25 years 1884 : Joined service as Assistant Engineer in Public Works Department Bombay serving in Nasik, Khandesh and Pune 1894: Designed and carried out the water works of Municipality of Sukkur in Sind 1895: Executive Engineer, Surat 1896: Assistant Superintending Engineer, Poona, 1897-99: Visited China and Japan 1898: Executive Engineer for Irrigation, Poona 1899: Sanitary Engineer, Bombay, and Member, Sanitary Board 20 /1/1667

Gist of distinguished Service rendered by Sir MV to PWD Bombay Presidency over ~25 years 1901: Gave evidence before the Indian Irrigation Commission 1901: Designed and constructed Automatic Gates patented by him at Lake Fife Storage Reservoir; introduced a new system of irrigation known as the \"Block System“ 1903: Represented the Bombay Government at Simla Irrigation Commission 1905: Superintending Engineer of PWD 1907: Visited Egypt, Canada. United States of America and Russia 1908: Services lent as Special Consulting Engineer, Hyderabad, to supervise and carry out Engineering works in connection with the Musi floods 1909: Took voluntary retirement from British service 21 /1/1667

Technology Vision of Sir MV 22 /1/1667

Maslow’s Hierarchy of human Needs Sir MV understood and meticulously addressed each and every need of the common man, as per Maslow’s Hierarchy of human needs Figure 5 23 /1/1667

Maslow’s Hierarchy of human Needs In the following pages, we are going to see how Sir MV addressed the following needs of the Indian Society, as shown in Figure 6 : 1. Drinking Water 2. Irrigation 3. Banking 4. Electric Power 5. Steel 6. Social Upliftment 7. Housing 8. Railways 9. Technical Training 10. National Planning 24 /1/1667

Areas of Techno-vision by Sir M. V 1. Drinking Water 10. National AP 2. Irrigation Planning CD 3. Banking 9. Technical Techno Training Vision 4. Electrical Energy 8. Railways 5. Steel 7. Housing 6. Social Figure 6: Upliftment 25 /1/1667

Techno-vision on drinking Water Supply Water is said to be the Elixir of Life. He planned a way of 26 /1/1667 supplying water from the river Sind to a town called Sukkur in Sind Province in 1899. Figure 7

Drinking Water for Aden Referring to Figure 8, Suez Canal was built by the French in 1869. Because of its strategic importance, Aden at the southern end of peninsular Arabia was a crown colony of the British, administered by the Bombay British Governor till Indian Independence in 1947. Till 1897 the British subjects depended on the scanty natural rain-fall in Aden. Then there was no rain for some three years. To address this situation Sir MV was deputed to Aden in 1900. 27 /1/1667

Drinking Water for Aden He surveyed the entire area and located a rivulet starting on the hills some 100km away from Aden city. The rivulet disappeared in the sands of the desert. He then located water at a distance of ~ 30 km from the city at a considerable depth and established a water pump works to pump water to Aden city, thus solving the water problem. In 1911, the British Government recognized his services by conferring on him the title “Kaiser-e-Hind”, named after a giant swallow-tailed Butterfly native to India. 28 /1/1667

Aden: Crown Colony of British, administered by Bombay Presidency 1869 29 Figure 8 /1/1667

Drinking Water for Aden Water-starved Aden 1897 Aden 1900 Dry Lake Figure 9 Lake filled with water 30 /1/1667

1906: Aden water Works: 46 Years of Age Hills Desert Rivulet disappearing in the desert 100km Aden 30 km Figure 10 New Source of water located by Sir MV. 31 /1/1667

Award given by British Government to Sir MV in 1911 “Kaiser-e- Hind” Swallowtail Butterfly native to India Figure 11 32 /1/1667

Drinking water supply to Pune Sir MV provided filtered Drinking Water to Pune & Kirkee – Military Cantonment in 1907 Drinking 33 /1/1667 Water Supply Figure 12

Chain of events after retirement from Services of PWD Bombay •1908: Retired from Bombay PWD Service (48 Years of Age). •Took up a tour abroad in Europe. •Due to 300mm rains on a single day in catchment areas of Musi & Iyasi rivers, Hyderabad. city was devastated, Nizam invited Sir MV via his London office to rush back to India. •Sir MV cut short his tour & returned to India. •Surveyed the rivers from their origins to point of their joining. •Recommended two Dams across rivers. •Raising river bunds inside city & beautification of area. •Again invited by Nizam in 1922 & 1930 for city improvement. 34 /1/1667

Construction of two Dams for Hyderabad city Himayat-Sagar Dam across Iyasi River & Osman-Sagar Dam across Musi River for Flood Control & Water Supply to Hyderabad City were planned and built by Sir MV in 1909 Osman-Sagar Dam across Musi River Figure 13 Himayat-Sagar Dam across Iyasi River 35 /1/1667

Dimna Project to supply water to Jamshedpur 1927 – 1955 Director - Tata Iron & Steel Company Dimna Barrage Water supply in Jamshedpur is partly met from Dimna Lake. A part of Dimna Hill is blocked to form an artificial lake popularly known as Dimna Lake, vide plans by Sir MV Figure 14 36 /1/1667

1. Drinking 2. Irrigation Water Supply Techno Vision The dictum “All Cultures start with Agriculture” was well known to him. Before his time, fields near any dam received excess amount of water and those in tail end areas received less amount of water than their requirement. He solved the problem since 1901 by “Block System of Irrigation” by apportioning the water to different blocks or areas on different dates by judiciously diverting the water via channels, with advance information to the farmers. Figure 15 37 /1/1667

Irrigation •Khadakvasla reservoir near Pune, was originally built by the British in 1879. •In 1903, Sir MV patented and built a system of automatic weir water floodgates at Khadakvasla to stop the wasteful flow of water. •It was again repeated at Tigra Dam in Gwalior. Khadakvasla reservoir Automatic Flood Gates at Tigra Figure 16 Dam at Gwalior 38 /1/1667

Krishna Raja Sagar Dam • In 1908, Sir MV became the Chief Engineer of Mysore Kingdom • In the years 1911 – 1931 he planned and constructed the so- called Kannambadi Dam (more popularly known as Krishna Raja Sagar Dam) across river Kaveri near Mysore, the details of which are seen in Figure 18. Figure 17 39 /1/1667

Details of Krishna Raja Sagar Dam 40 /1/1667 •Construction of Kannambadi Reservoir (KRS) •Height 38 metre; Length 2500 metre •Largest Reservoir in India, till then ! •Ayacut: 60,000 Hectare •Capacity: 1360 million metre •Power Generation: 50MW Power •Cost: Rs. 91 Lakhs •Sluice Gates: 161 (out of which 48 automatic) •First Multi-Purpose River Valley Project of India at that time Figure 18

A touching Tale behind the Construction of KRS Dam* By Krishna Raja Wodiyar IV *KRS = Krishna Raja Sagar Dam, across Kaveri River in Mysore 41 /1/1667

A humble King & a brilliant Engineer behind KRS Dam KRS stands proudly as a testament to a humble king, brilliant engineer and the toil of thousands of men and women who made it an architectural wonder that it is. Figure 19 42 /1/1667

Background Details • The king of Mysore, Krishna Raja Wodeyar IV (called “Rajarishi by Mahatma Gandhi) and Sir M. Vishweshwariah were in a pensive mood. • They had reached a dead-end. • The proposed Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) dam was 6 months away from completion and they had run out of money. • Just 8 months ago, the king had mortgaged his family jewels to the king of Benaras. • The queen has given her favourite necklaces and family heirlooms for the project. • But eventually, that too ran out in mounting labour and construction costs. • According to the human psyche, they say, when we are cornered and have nowhere to go, sudden and un-expected courage takes over our very being. • A man thus subjected will pull off all odds in a sortie mainly because he has nothing to lose. Sir MV had an impractical idea but wanted to attempt. 43 /1/1667

Background Details • That morning, he sent out messages to all village headmen that he wanted to meet them in a village near Mandya the next day at 4 pm. • The royal messengers rushed out to village after village delivering the important Communication. • The agenda was not mentioned. • Sir MV expected at the most 5 to 10 village headmen would come to the meeting due to short notice. • Next day, they reached the meeting at 3:50 pm. • There were more than 500 people, village elders and the younger crowd included. • All wanted to hear the great engineer who was building this huge lifeline. • There was another man walking with Sir MV. • The crowd gasped. • For most of them had never seen the King up so close. 44 /1/1667

Background Details • The king was genteel, but education had taught him humility. • He walked amongst the crowd, spoke to them as a commoner, mingled and finally took up the stage. • He spoke. From the heart. In their language. He did not hide anything. • He said that he needed help. And asked the villagers if they would work for free for 4 weeks until he found out a solution. • He told them that he was thinking of mortgaging one of the palaces. Here was a king who was like them, without money and was about to mortgage his house. “Just like us,” they thought. But what touched them most were his vulnerability and simplicity. The king had connected. The effect was electrifying. • However, no one responded. A month of free work meant depleted savings for some, and for others, starvation. 45 /1/1667

The Climax • Next morning at 6:30 am Sir MV met the King and they commenced discussing mortgaging the palace when the king’s secretary suddenly rushed inside. • He exclaimed, “You got to see this.” Everyone hurriedly went to the palace balcony. The sight was one to behold. • First, they saw a few, then hundreds and then thousands. • Wave after wave of people were streaming into the palace courtyard. Farmers, teachers, cart-drivers, old men, women – many with toddlers – people of all sort and sizes came to do their tiny bit to complete the dream that was KRS. • The king, queen, courtiers and Sir MV watched the spectacle with unbelievable eyes. 46 /1/1667

The Climax • With moistened eyes, the king held out his hand and placed it on his heart – a gesture of deepest gratitude. • Even the non-emotional Sir MV was moved. • The people of Mysore would not care if they were not paid, but they would complete the dam braving whatever odds that came their way. • KRS stands proudly as a testament to a humble king, brilliant engineer and the toil of thousands of men and women who made it an architectural wonder that it is. • But above all, it is a symbolic representation of a miracle that can be achieved if your heart is pure and intentions are well. • The sophisticated canal system from KRS to Shivana Samudra has enabled mother earth to deck herself in lushest of green. This area is called the green gold of Karnataka. Source: https://www.pgurus.com/a-touching-tale-behind-the-construction-of-krishna-raja-sagar-dam-by-krishna- 47 /1/1667 raja-wodeyar-iv/

Irrigation In 1926, he was a Senior Member for the Sukkur Barrage Works Committee in Sind Province Province Sukkur The dam on Indus was completed in 1932. It was renamed after Independence 48 /1/1667 the Jinnah Barrage. Figure 20

Irrigation In 1937, at 77 years of age, Sir MV became the honorary Chairman of Irrigation Enquiry Committee of Bombay Province. Generally speaking, a position or designation adds value to the person designated. Here the person added value to the position! Figure 21 49 /1/1667

Irrigation •The giant Mahanadi river was both the boon and bane of Orissa •Water from the river was used for irrigation extensively. •But the river flooded vast areas of fields, causing havoc. •Government of India engineers studied the problem and threw up their hands, as the river was constantly changing its course. •Gandhiji suggested to the state government that they invite Sir MV to study the problem and to suggest countermeasures. •In 1937, Sir MV surveyed the vast areas in the river delta and suggested that they build a very long dam across the river. •As per his suggestions, Hirakud dam was built over a formidable length of 26 km ! •There are two Minars (Observation Towers) at each end of the dam, named Gandhi Minar & Nehru Minar. 50 /1/1667