Engineers Day 2024: Why is it celebrated on September 15 every year? History, theme, wishes

NEW DELHI: National Engineer’s Day is celebrated every year on September 15 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, also known as ‘Sir MV’ and the contributions of engineers to the field of engineering. The theme of Engineers Day 2024 is ‘engineering role models’.

M Visvesvaraya was born in 1861 in a Telugu family in Karnataka’s Chikkaballapur. Both the parents of Visvesvaraya were Sanskrit scholars. Visvesvaraya obtained an undergraduate degree in arts and also completed a degree in civil engineering from the College of Engineering in Pune.

Sir MV was a specialist in irrigation techniques and flood disaster management. His biggest contribution was an 'automatic barrier water floodgates' installed at the Khadakvasla Reservoir near Pune. The engineer not only founded the Bangalore Agricultural University during his reign as Diwan of Mysore, he led the setting up of Government Engineering College, now known as University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering. He was conferred with the Bharat Ratna award, India's highest civilian honour, for his contribution to the country’s development.

Paying tributes to MV, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati said in a post, “Remembering Bharat Ratna Sir #MokshagundamVisvesvaraya, on his birth anniversary celebrated as #EngineersDay today. Greetings to all the hardworking engineers on #EngineersDay2024.”

Happy Engineer’s Day 2024: Wishes, quotes, celebrations

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished the engineers on the occasion on social media. He said in a post on X (formerly Twitter): “Engineers Day greetings to all engineers who are driving progress in every field, innovating and solving critical challenges. Remembering Sir M Visvesvaraya, whose contribution to engineering is widely known.”

“Happy #EngineersDay2024! Honoring the incredible contributions of engineers to society and commemorating the legacy of Sir M. Visvesvaraya, a visionary who paved the way for innovation in India. Let’s continue to build a brighter, smarter, and more sustainable future!,” said the Gujarat Council of Science and Technology.

Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering (PCCoE) posted, “Science is about knowing; engineering is about doing.’ – Henry Petroski. Cheers to all the doers who are shaping our world!”

Rajasthan State Engineering Services Association also wished and congratulated everyone. The National Council of Science Museums said the Regional Science Centre, Tirupati is conducting screening of a documentary of “legendary nation builder” today.