One of the most eminent engineers ever produced by India, Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, better known as M. Visvesvaraya, was a man of high principles and discipline. An engineer par excellence, he was the chief architect behind the construction of the Krishna Raja Sagara dam in Mandya which helped to convert the surrounding barren lands into fertile grounds for farming. An idealistic person, he believed in simple living and high thinking. His father was a Sanskrit scholar who believed in providing quality education to his son. Even though his parents were not financially rich, the young boy was exposed to a richness of culture and tradition at home. He completed his primary education from his village school and went to high school in Bangalore. Tragedy struck the loving family when his father died when Visvesvaraya was just a teenager. After the death of his beloved father, he struggled hard to get ahead in life to continue his education.Visvesvaraya started giving tuition to small children and earned his livelihood this way.He joined Central College in Bangalore and studied hard. He was a good student despite all the hardships in his life and completed his Bachelor of Arts in 1881. He went to the prestigious College of Engineering at Pune after he managed to get some help from the Government.