9 months ago
Historian Wins Prize for Visvesvaraya Biography
A historian named Aparajith Ramnath wrote a book about M Visvesvaraya, a famous Indian engineer.
The book won a big prize called the Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize.
Ramnath talked about how he became interested in Visvesvaraya's life and what he learned while writing the book.
Visvesvaraya did many important things like building dams, creating water supply systems, and setting up schools for engineers.
Ramnath thinks Visvesvaraya's story is still important today because he focused on making people's lives better and believed in education and social reform.
The book took seven years to research and write, and Ramnath looked at many old documents and talked to Visvesvaraya's family to learn more about him.
Aparajith Ramnath won the Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize for his biography on M Visvesvaraya.
The book, 'Engineering a Nation: The Life and Career of M Visvesvaraya', took seven years to research and write.
Visvesvaraya was a prominent civil engineer and technocrat known for his contributions to India's infrastructure and education.
Ramnath's research involved archives in India and the UK, as well as interviews with Visvesvaraya's family.
Visvesvaraya's notable achievements include piped water supply projects, multipurpose dams, and the establishment of the Indian Institute of Science.
- Who
- Aparajith Ramnath, historian and author of the biography of M Visvesvaraya
- What
- Winning the Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize for his biography on M Visvesvaraya
- Where
- The research was conducted in various archives across India and the UK
- When
- The book was published in 2024, and the prize was awarded recently
- Why
- To chronicle the life and career of M Visvesvaraya, a prominent civil engineer and technocrat in India's history
Key facts
- Author
- Aparajith Ramnath
- Book Title
- Engineering a Nation: The Life and Career of M Visvesvaraya
- Prize
- Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize
- Publication Year
- 2024
- Research Duration
- 7 years
- Primary Research Locations
- Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, British Library, PMML, Institution of Engineers (India) branch in Mysuru
- Notable Achievements of Visvesvaraya
- Piped water supply projects, multipurpose dams, riverfront beautification, Indian Institute of Science, Mysore Sandal Soap factories
Quotes
Aparajith Ramnath
Author and historian, and winner of the Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize for his biography of M Visvesvaraya.
“The book was commissioned in 2017 and published in 2024, so seven years all told. Of course, that includes several fallow periods!”
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“I drifted into engineering like many people of my generation. But I’ve always wanted to write, and I’ve always been fascinated by the past. After graduation, I worked briefly in a computer networks company in Bangalore, trying desperately to figure out a way to reconcile my interests with my training. That’s when I learnt about the field called the history of science and technology. I went to graduate school to train in it. And that’s how it all started.”
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The jury
The panel that selected the winner of the Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize.
“deeply researched account of Visvesvaraya’s life and career”
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“chronicles the life of a remarkable individual and technocrat, as well as the times and country that shaped [M Visvesvaraya].”
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Sources
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