Engineer's Day: India Boasts Stellar Marvels, But Most Creators Struggle With Unemployment Woes

As a tribute to Sir M. Visvesvaraya, who is regarded as the pioneer of Indian engineering, 15 September is observed as national “Engineer’s Day”. In the mid-90s, Sir M. Visvesvaraya was awarded India’s highest honour, the Bharat Ratna, for his contributions to the field of civil engineering.

This year, on India’s “Engineer’s Day”, let’s take a look at some of the astounding engineering marvels that India can take pride in.

The Magnificent ‘Banda-Worli Sea Link’ In Mumbai

Poised against the vast Arabian Sea, the cable bridge with pre-stressed concrete-steel viaducts on either side accommodates eight lanes for thousands of vehicles to pass smoothly every day. The construction of the bridge commenced back in 2000 and its completion took around 10 years.

Designed by architect Seshadri Srinivasan, US-based Jacobs Engineering Group put the whole thing together.

​The Famous Dome Of ‘Matrimandir’ In Auroville

Vetween the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Union Territory lies a mystic township called “Auroville”. Calling itself a “universal” city, the limited number of international residents now living in Auroville share a mutual desire to live in peace and progressive harmony without any racial, political or nationalist hostility.

With its larger-than-life golden dome, a breathtaking temple called “Matrimandir” graces the centre of this town as a mark of spiritual significance. The design of “Matrimandir” also called the “Auroville Dome” was first conceived by a local engineer, Udar, in 1971 and its completion took 37 years.

The dome of the temple is designed using golden discs that majestically reflect the sun's rays, lending to its one-of-a-kind look. 

​The Unforgettable ‘Pamban Bridge’ In Tamil Nadu

India’s second longest sea bridge, the Pamban Bridge, connects the quaint southern Indian island of Rameshwaram to the mainland over the shimmering Bay of Bengal.

Constructed by a team of in-house engineers in the world’s second-most corrosive environment, the bridge covers a distance of two kilometers with 143 piers.

Other Engineering marvels can be found in India. Moreover, in this age of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and space advancements, a significant number of future engineers are taking software classes to be able to make use of the new tech.

However, despite that millions of students who graduate with an engineering degree every year in India, fewer that 20 percent find employment in their chosen profession.

On Tuesday, Indian engineers took to Twitter to express their overwhelming emotions given the current pandemic-affected status of global education and the economy, which has brought their lives to an uncertain standstill. Memes reflecting the occasion also made it to social media.

​Several Indian politicians, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Federal Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, posted birthday tributes to the late M. Visvesvaraya, while encouraging young Indian engineers to grow and startle the world.