On Engineer's Day, Google Doodle Celebrates M Visvesvaraya's Birthday
NEW DELHI: An Engineer so popular and devoted to the life of engineering, Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya's birthday is celebrated today as Engineer's Day. Fondly referred to as Sir MV, M Visvesvaraya was a world-renowned civil engineer who was a master of irrigation design. He was also referred to as the father of engineers by many.
Google dedicates its doodle today to celebrate M Visvesvaraya's 158th birthday who is known to have lived by the phrase, "Work is Worship". The doodle today has a color sketch of Sir MV with a sketch of a bridge in the background. The bridge, among M Visvesvaraya's most notable projects, is a representation of the Krishna Raja Sagara Lake and dam. In 1924, Sir MV designed the Krishna Raja Sagara Lake and dam, the largest reservoir in India at the time, and oversaw the construction of the project. The dam is known to have provided drinking water for several cities.
Born in the early 1800s, Sir MV was raised in Karnataka's Muddenahalli village. Many who have studied his work have passed on several stories of Visvesvaraya's dedication. Some say Sir MV would walk for over 60 kilometres in Bengaluru to attend United Mission School and would often resort to street lamps for studying during the night.
M Visvesvaraya earned a License in Civil Engineering from the University of Bombay and began working with the Bomaby city's Public Works Division. He then joined the Indian Irrigation Commission. His expertise in the subject earned him the opportunity to travel to a port city in Yamen where he studied the water supply and drainage of Aden.
M Visvesvaraya was appointed as the Chief Engineer of Mysore State in 1909. He was then given the status of the Diwan in Mysore in 1912 which he held for seven years. He was awarded India's highest honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1955 for his work in the fields of engineering and education. He was also awarded the British knighthood King also awarded to by George V, giving him the honorific "sir".
Sir MV is knows to have been dedicated to education and cared deeply about engineering. He played an important role in finding the Government Engineering College at Bangalore in 1917. The college was then named after him later on. Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum in the heart of Bengaluru city, among the top tourist destinations, has seen over 4 crore visitors in the past 50 years. The museum was set up in the memory of Sir MV's contribution to engineering and technology. Even M Visvesvaraya's home in Karnataka is considered as a place of worship for the locals in the village.
As part of the doodle, Google also posted a note from the family of Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya and the Visvesvaraya National Memorial Trust who partnered with them on the project. They also shared Sir MV's life and legacy along with a portrait of him.
courtesy : ndtv.com
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
