Professor Aparajith Ramnath awarded the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards 2026

Aparajith Ramnath, Associate Professor at the School of Arts and Sciences, Ahmedabad University, has been awarded the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Awards 2026 in the Books (Non-Fiction) category for his book Engineering a Nation: The Life and Career of M. Visvesvaraya. The award recognises his work in illuminating the life and legacy of one of India’s most influential engineers and situating it within the broader historical and social context of nation-building.

What explains the enduring prominence of Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, an engineer, administrator, and statesman, whose legacy is marked by the celebration of his birthday as Engineers’ Day? Professor Aparajith Ramnath reflects on this question through a close examination of Visvesvaraya’s life and career. His book traces the aptitudes, experiences, and historical contexts that shaped an individual whose influence extended well beyond engineering into the making of modern India. The biography is the result of seven years of extensive archival research conducted across India and abroad, drawing on letters, technical papers, newspapers, and institutional histories.