Thanks to VTU, ace architect’s memorial gets facelift

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Sir M Visvesvaraya's memorial at his final resting place in Muddenahalli (Chikkaballapur district), built to honour India's renowned engineer, has been pulled from the state of disrepair and may soon become a site of mandatory visit for engineering students.

With garbage littered all around and the public misusing the place for several years, the memorial was crying for attention till a few years ago. But in the last one year, the place has been developed into an inspirational site, thanks to the renovation by the Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU).

The crumbling condition of Sir MV's memorial came as a shock to the VTU, which has been named after the legendary engineer. Following the request by the President of Visvesvaraya National Memorial Trust, the VTU not only formed a high-level committee of officials for its upkeep, but also took up the maintenance of the memorial for a year now.

The committee which took up several initiatives like installation of solar lamps, fencing of the memorial area, landscaping and ensuring round-the-clock security to discourage squatters and illegal entry of public. The committee has ensured that the memorial is decorated with flowers, every Saturday and Sunday.

Dr Sanjeev Kubakaddi, chairman of the memorial renovation committee, said, "The place was earlier used as a resting place by the public. The walls and granite slabs had graffiti on them. It was indeed shocking to see the memorial of the country's best engineer in such a pathetic shape.

Shockingly, none knows the importance of the place. But with the renovation work and efforts to create awareness, many have begun to understand the importance of the place." VTU has spent about Rs 10 lakh on the renovation work.

Renovated as one of the best memorials in the state, VTU has resolved to recommend all its affiliated colleges to take students on a mandatory visit to the memorial and explain to them the contribution of Visvesvaraya.

Efforts are also on to set up the Visvesvaraya Study Chair in VTU's constituent college. Faculty members at the VTU PG centre in Muddenahalli, the birthplace of Visvesvaraya, have also been visiting schools in the nearby villages to educate children about the achievements and contributions of Visvesvaraya and instil in them a sense of pride.

Satish Mokshagundam, grandson of Sir MV and member of the renovation committee, said, "Earlier the maintenance was done by the Horticulture department, but due to shortage of funds and staff, the memorial went into oblivion. If VTU is willing to take up the responsibility, the memorial trust will extend the period of maintenance as they have stopped the illegal entry of public, while providing guidance to visitors."