Two incidents - Nehru and M Visvesvaraya

The papers ordering the construction of the Hirakud dam came to Nehru, for his signature. Though he was convinced that it was to be done, he had some doubts. He needed some assurance that things were in order.

He requested Visvesvaraya to take a look and see that everything was OK. Visvesvaraya said that seeing the files was not enough. He wanted to personally check some important aspects of the surveying and the land at the site itself. He was already in his nineties. In spite of it, Visvesvaraya travelled all the way to Sambalpur. He asked some of the concerned engineers to stay at the inspection bungalow where he was staying so that they can go through some of the important aspects of the plan.

The engineers were in a quandary. Their official grade made them ineligible to stay at the inspection bungalow. This meant that the review would have to be done the next day and he had to extend his stay in Sambalpur. Visvesvaraya was not interested in extending his stay. He insisted that he wanted to return to Bangalore, by the very next available train, if the engineers could not stay in the inspection bungalow.

The engineers had to get approval from the headquarters by telegram. Late into the night, Visvesvaraya grilled the engineers about the plans. Early next morning he was ready in full suit and Mysore pETa (turban) to go to the proposed dam site, twenty kilometres away.

He spent the whole day at the site and eventually approved the plans.

Around the time the Hirakud dam was being finished (Incidentally, it was finished ahead of schedule) Nehru's cabinet of ministers decided that Visvesvaraya should be honoured with Bharata Ratna. Aware of the strictness in all matters and bluntness of Visvesvaraya, the ministers were reluctant to write to him and request him to accept the honour.

Nehru himself decided to write and he did.

Visvesvaraya wrote back saying that he was ready to accept the award if it did not restrict his freedom to criticise Nehru's government's policies or actions in the future if the need arose!

Only after Nehru wrote back saying that this was precisely why he was being honoured did he agree to accept the award.