Engineering is considered as one of the toughest educational course world-wide and it is the engineers who apply the theories of science to solve practical problems. India has produced numerous engineers who did pioneering work in their field. The works of these famous engineers, like E. Sreedharan who is popularly known as the ‘Metro Man of India’, for his contribution to Indian metro or M. Visvesvaraya who made a significant contribution in the field of water supply and irrigation, benefitted numerous citizens of the country. Many engineers like Narayan Murthy and Nandan Nilekani decided to pool their expertise and the result was ‘Infosys’, a company reckoned globally. The aerospace engineers of the country were responsible for the success of India’s maiden Mars Mission ‘Chandrayan’. The legacy of several famous engineers is carried forward by the engineers of today who are not content with hefty paychecks but are ready to leave the comfort of their plush offices to contribute to the betterment of the society. Here we have made an effort to bring to you the biographies of some eminent Indian engineers. Explore to know more about their inspiring life stories and timelines. We have also presented some interesting fun facts and trivia related to these personalities.
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E. Sreedharan is an Indian politician and engineer who played a key role in the construction of the Delhi Metro and the Konkan Railway. Nicknamed the Metro Man, Sreedharan was honored with the prestigious Padma Vibhushan Award for changing the face of Indian public transport. In 2003, E. Sreedharan was included in Time magazine's list of Asia's Heroes.
Shiva Ayyadurai is an Indian-American engineer, scientist, and entrepreneur. He gained recognition after claiming to be the inventor of email, which is widely disputed even today. His claim is based on a software called EMAIL, which he wrote while studying at Livingston High School in the late-1970s. He is also known for his unfounded medical claims, including treatments for COVID-19.
Pakistani engineer Abdul Qadeer Khan was a major figure in the development of his country’s nuclear plans. His research also focused on uranium enrichment. He was later apparently involved in transfer of nuclear technology to Iran, among other countries, but was pardoned by then-president Pervez Musharraf.
Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani is also the man behind the Indian biometric ID Aadhaar. Named to the Forbes list of India’s Richest in 2021, he also once teamed up with Ratan Tata to form Avanti Finance to help the poor get loans. He unsuccessfully contested as a Congress candidate, too.
Satish Dhawan was an Indian aerospace engineer and mathematician remembered for his research in the field of boundary layers and turbulence. From 1972 to 1984, Dhawan served as the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization during which he played a key role in the development of the space program in India. In 1981, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan.
Sabbir Khan is an Indian screenwriter and film director best known for his work in the Hindi film industry or Bollywood. Khan specializes in directing action films. Over the years, he has gained popularity for directing action films like Kambakkht Ishq, Heropanti, and Baaghi.
Resul Pookutty is an Indian film sound editor, sound designer, and audio mixer. He is best known for his work in the 2008 British drama film Slumdog Millionaire for which he received the Academy Award under the Best Sound Mixing category. He has also won other prestigious awards, such as the National Film Award for Best Audiography and Padma Shri.
Satyendra Dubey was an Indian Engineering Service officer who headed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) where he was the project director. Dubey was murdered at the age of 30 for exposing corruption in NHAI project. His murder instigated several protests and Dubey was honored with several awards, including the Whistleblower of the Year award from Index on Censorship.
Deeply connected with Indian innovation movement, Raghunath Anant Mashelkar is especially known for his contributions to transport phenomena. Throughout his career, he had held important positions, including the post of the Director General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. He also chaired many important national committees, investigating diverse issues like drug regulatory system and national auto fuel policy.
G. Madhavan Nair is an Indian space scientist who played a key role in the development of space technology while serving as the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). He is also credited with establishing the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology in Kerala. In 2009, Nair was honored with the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award.
Anil Kakodkar is an Indian mechanical engineer and nuclear physicist who served as the director of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) from 1996 to 2000. He is one of the core members of the team which conducted Pokharan II nuclear tests. Over the course of his career, Kakodkar has received several prestigious awards, such as the Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan.
Subramaniam Ramadorai is an Indian engineer who served as the MD and CEO of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) between 1996 and 2009. Ramadorai is credited with transforming TCS into one of the largest software and services companies in the world. Over the years, Subramaniam Ramadorai has received several prestigious awards, including India's third-highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan.
Ardeshir Godrej was an Indian businessman best remembered for co-founding the precursor of the popular Godrej Group, Godrej Brothers Company. Godrej is credited with changing the face of lock-making in India. He patented many of his inventions, including a Gordian Lock and the world's first springless lock.
Sabu Cyril is an Indian production designer and art director best known for his work in the Indian film industry. One of the most popular and celebrated art directors in India, Cyril has received four National Film Awards for Best Production Design. He achieved international recognition for his work in the 2010 Tamil-language science fiction film Enthiran.
G. D. Agrawal was an Indian environmentalist, engineer, monk, and professor. A patron of Ganga Mahasabha, Agrawal is remembered for protesting against the approval of several projects on River Ganga. On 22 June 2018, he started fasting to exert pressure on the government to clean and save River Ganga. He continued his fast until his death on 11 October 2018.
