PENGUIN ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF THE BIOGRAPHY OF MOKSHAGUNDAM VISVESVARAYA, THE MAN WHO DESIGNED INDIA’S FUTURE
Marking the birth anniversary of Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya on 15th September, celebrated as Engineer’s Day, Penguin announces the release of his
biography, Engineering a Nation, written by Aparajith Ramnath today. A public administrator, constitutional analyst, and development thinker, Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, (1861–1962) was arguably the most famous Indian engineer of the twentieth century. The book is available in bookstores nationwide and on online platforms.
India bears a significant imprint of Visvesvaraya’s work—as Sugarcane farmers in Maharashtra and Karnataka, picknickers in the Brindavan Gardens alongside the Krishnarajasagara dam near Mysore, and city dwellers across the country who enjoy a piped water supply are all partaking of Visvesvaraya’s legacy. So are students in Bengaluru’s Indian Institute of Science and Mumbai’s Institute of Chemical Technology, consumers who swear by Mysore Sandal Soap, and anyone who has lived through Independent India’s Five-Year Plans.
In Engineering a Nation, Aparajith delves into a wide range of sources to paint a balanced picture of a man who has come to be regarded as a national icon. Throughout, he explores the professional and intellectual relationships that shaped Visvesvaraya, and highlights the historical context in which he worked. To explore Visvesvaraya’s life, the book argues, is to understand the emergence of the Indian nation itself.
Visvesvaraya was an early proponent of economic planning and rapid, large-scale industrialization, which he believed were essential for national development. Most of all, he was an ardent technocrat: a believer in the power of science and technology to solve society’s most pressing problems. In his time, his ideas were both lauded and criticised. Technocratic visions are once more at the centre of public discourse today: as in Visvesvaraya’s day, they hold much promise, but also have important limitations.
It emphasizes on Visvesvaraya’s close interaction with nationalist politicians. For instance, in the 1920s, he worked closely with Madan Mohan Malaviya and M.R. Jayakar to press the colonial government for a round table conference. He was also a key campaigner for India to receive what was known as “dominion status”, and even outlined a dominion constitution for India. It brings to light some of the key debates and conflicts he participated in during and after his years as Mysore’s Chief Engineer and Dewan, illustrating the fact that his projects and policies did not sail through unopposed.
