HVK Archives: The one who honestly opposed Gandhiji
The one who honestly opposed Gandhiji - The Hindu
A. Jayaraman
()
15 August 1997
Title: The one who honestly opposed Gandhiji
Author: A. Jayaraman
Publication: The Hindu
Date: August 15, 1997
On the occasion of Independence Day, it is worth going into some of the
exchange of ideas between Mahatma Gandhi and Sir M. Visvesvaraya who
differed with him radically on some issues though not political.
Visvesvaraya was eight years older than Gandhiji. He was one of the few
national leaders to live up to the landmark tenure of 100 and beyond -
September 1861 to April 14, 1962 His public life spanned from Mahadev
Govind Ranade to Jawaharlal Nehru. Like Mohamed Ali Jinnah, Visvesvaraya
was a sartorial contrast to Gandhiji. He used to be immaculately attired in
three-piece suit, though he never missed the Mysore lace turban. Only as
the Dewan of Mysore (1912-18), he might have appeared in buttoned up long
coat made of filigree silk and sported a cummerbund. The attire apart,
none ever questioned his patriotism or nationalism, though he did not
return his Knighthood as a few others did in protest against British
atrocities. Gandhiji had once written to him saying "In spite of the
strength of my conviction, I have certain great regard for your fine
abilities and love of the country and that shall be unabated whether I have
the good fortune to secure your cooperation or face your honest opposition.
In that same letter of November 23, 1934, Gandhiji had written to
Visvesvaraya from Wardha that "I see that we hold perhaps diametrically
opposite views. My conviction based upon extensive experience of village
life is that in India at any rate for generations to come we shall not be
able to make much use of mechanical power for solving the problem of the
ever growing poverty of the masses."
Visvesvaraya's reply from his bungalow on Mumbai's elitist Warden Road was
"You say we hold perhaps diametrically opposite views. You are for
developing village industries and 1 favour both heavy industries and
village industries. To the extent that you propose to advance village
industries, I am at one with you. I can never persuade myself to take up a
hostile attitude towards any constructive work, from any quarter, least of
all towards work attempted by one with your brilliant historic achievements
in public life." Visvesvaraya or Sir M.V. as he was addressed with
deference in princely Mysore went on to write "You seem to assume that I
want to prepare the country for exploiting somebody or other. That view is
wholly unwarranted. I am in favour of heavy industries at least as strongly
as of village industries because heavy industries will save the money that
is going out of the country in large sums every year; heavy industries are
required to provide the local manufacturers of machinery and equipment
required by our railways and for our defence forces and heavy industries
are required also for supplying machinery and tools for the village
industries themselves. I recommend more extended use of mechanical power
because it produces results for the country much more rapidly than human
power. The object is to get food and commodities required by our people
for a decent standard of living as speedily as possible....... If a journey
of 100 miles has to be accomplished and there is a choice before you of a
bullock cart or a motor car - you certainly would not choose a bullock cart."
Though Sir M. Visvesvaraya Is known as a great engineer and an equally
great administrator and his birthday, September 15 is observed as
"Engineers' Day" many are unaware of his contributions to the field of
civil engineering in which he had specialised. Critics are not wanting who
even question the need for invoking his name. But they are mostly of the
tribe which believes "The world did not exist before we were born."
Visvesvaraya was the innovator of what has come to be called the "Block
system of irrigation." In fact the automatic waste weir flood- gates
installed at the Krishnarajasagar dam across the Cauvery owe their design
to him. Visvesvaraya who spent the better part of his career as an engineer
while serving the then Government of Bombay Presidency, installed such
flood-gates at the headworks of the Mutha Canal, the source of water supply
to Pune city and cantonment. He was commanded for that by the then
Commander in Chief of India, Lord Kitchener of Khartoum. Similar gates
came to be erected on the Tigra dam in Gwalior. He introduced the Block
System of irrigation to ensure the economical use of canal water and to
enable the cultivators to obtain their supply on a long lease instead of on
a precarious year-to-year tenure then prevailing. The system was first
introduced on the irrigation canals in the Deccan part of the then Bombay
Presidency.
It was Visvesvaraya who designed and built the greater part of the Masonry
dam of Krishnarajasagar. The reservoir was the largest in India till that
time. He was the Chairman of the committee which designed the Irwin Canal
works (now renamed after him). The work involved the construction of the
9200 feet long Hulikere Tunnel, bored through a deep range of hills in the
Cauvery valley. The work was actually carried out by the Chief Engineer of
Mysore, Dewan Bahadur K. R. Seshachar. Visvesvaraya's engineering expertise
Is even today benefiting farmers in Pakistan too. He had headed the
committee on the engineering aspects of the Lloyd Barrage and Canal
construction works across the Indus at Sukkur in Sind, which now bear the
name of Jinnah. As a young man, during 1894-95, he designed and executed
the water works for Sukkur town. In 1908, he prepared the blue-print for
the water supply and drainage system of the port city of Aden, now in South
Yemen and then a military settlement forming part of British India.
Gandhiji turned to Visvesvaraya in 1939 to find a solution to. the problem
of floods in the State of Orissa. He advised the Congress Government
headed by Bishwanath Das to build three dams, one below the other. He
wanted the highest floods to be diverted from the Mahanadi to the vast
Chilka Lake, so that the water could be utilised for both irrigation and
power supply. Even as late as in 19 52, when he was 91 years of age, the
Railway Board sought his expertise for selecting a suitable site for the
construction of a railway bridge on the Ganga in Bihar. Sir M.
Visvesvaraya, recommended Mokameh and it was there the bridge was built in
1959.
His independent spirit and forthrightness were to the fore when he wrote to
Jawaharlal Nehru on being selected for the country's highest honour of
Bharat Ratna in September 1955. "If you feel that by giving this title, I
will praise your Government, you will be disappointed. I am a fact finding
man." Nehru appreciated his stand and requested him to accept the award.
And that is Visvesvaraya, efficient, honest and uncompromising.
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