Ajudhia Nath Khosla (11 December 1892 – 1984) was an Indian engineer and politician. He was the Chairman of the Central Waterways Irrigation and Navigation Commission of India. Khosla was born in Jalandhar, and worked as Vice Chancellor of the

University of Roorkee Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (abbreviated IIT Roorkee) is a technical university located in Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India. It is the oldest engineering institution in India, and was founded as the College of Civil Engineering in Brit ...

from 1954 to 1959. He was awarded the

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

in 1954 and the

Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan ("Lotus Decoration") is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service". All persons without ...

in 1977. He was nominated as member of the

Rajya Sabha The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...

the Upper house of Indian Parliament in 1958, but resigned in 1959 and joined the Planning Commission of India. He was the

Governor of Odisha The governor of Odisha is the head of state and representative of the president of India in the Indian state of Odisha. The governors have similar powers and functions at the state level as those of the President of India at centr ...

from September 1962 to August 1966 and again from September 1966 to January 1968. He was the president of Indian National Science Academy from 1961-62.

Education

Born in Jalandhar district of

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...

, he took up his early education there. After passing the matriculation in 1908 he took his BA with honours from D.A.V. College,

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...

, in 1912. He then joined the Thomason College of Civil Engineering (now

IIT Roorkee Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (abbreviated IIT Roorkee) is a technical university located in Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India. It is the oldest engineering institution in India, and was founded as the College of Civil Engineering in Bri ...

) in 1913 and passed out in 1916 as a civil engineer.

Career

After graduating in 1916, he started his career with the Irrigation Branch of the

Public Works Department. In few years, the Indian Service of Engineers (ISE) was established (1919) and he was allotted his first assignment (September 1917– March 1921) for surveys and investigations of

Bhakra Dam Bhakra Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Sutlej River in Bhakra Village near Bilaspur in Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh in northern India. The dam forms the Gobind Sagar reservoir. The dam, located at a gorge near the (now submerge ...

Project . During this period, he spent 18 months on deputation to

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...

as a commissioned officer with the

Indian Expeditionary Force The Indian Army during World War I was involved World War I. Over one million Indian troops served overseas, of whom 62,000 died and another 67,000 were wounded. In total at least 74,187 Indian soldiers died during the war. In World War I the ...

. While serving there (1918–1920) he developed the Khosla Disc for precision levelling across rivers and wide valleys. From 1921 to 1926 he was involved in the construction of the Suleimanke Barrage. In 1931 Khosla was deputed to the US and Europe to study soil reclamation, water logging and the latest techniques in dam design. On his return he was posted to the Panjnad Head Works of Sutlej Valley Canals. Between June and September 1936 while in charge of the Hafizabad Division, he wrote his magnum opus, ''The design of weirs on permeable foundation''. This publication revolutionised the design of such structures in India and abroad.

Contributions

As engineer

* He applied his methods to the design of the

Trimmu Barrage Trimmu Barrage is a barrage on the River Chenab in the Jhang District of the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is situated downstream of the confluence of the River Jhelum and River Chenab. It is situated some 25 km from the city of Jhang nea ...

and constructed it within two years (1937–1939), against the normal period of 4–5 years. * He served as Superintending Engineer in 1939 and Chief Engineer in 1943 and in both capacities, cherished Bhakra project. * He was appointed the first Chairman of the newly constituted Central Waterways, Irrigation and Navigation Commission in 1945. * He developed the Poona Research Station at Khadakvasla into Central Water and Power Station. * He undertook planning, design and, as in

Hirakud Dam Hirakud Dam is built across the Mahanadi River, about from Sambalpur in the state of Odisha in India. It is the longest earthen dam in the world. Behind the dam extends a lake, Hirakud Reservoir, long. It is one of the first major multipurpo ...

, construction of major Water Resources Projects. * He served as vice-chairman and later chairman of the board of Consultants of Bhakra Control Board until its commissioning in 1963. * He was instrumental in bringing about a number of agreements on negotiations for Indus Water Dispute with Pakistan.

As educationist

* He was appointed the first Indian Vice-Chancellor of Thomason College of Civil Engineering (later renamed

and then

). * He was the founder of two specialised engineering departments, which have made the University internationally known: the Water Resources Development Training Centre and the School of Research and Training in Earthquake Engineering. * He was the founder of Adarsh Bal Niketan,

Roorkee Roorkee (Rūṛkī) is a city and a municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is from Haridwar city, the district headquarter. It is spread over a flat terrain under Sivalik Hills of Himalayas. The ...

Government

* He was invited by the then Indian Prime Minister to serve as a member of Planning Commission in 1959. *He served as the Chairman of the Education Panel of the Planning Commission * He was appointed the Governor of Orissa in 1962, the first professional engineer to be given such a responsibility .

Recognition

, 1977 * Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, 1974 *

Padma Bhusan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

, 1954 * Conferred the honorary

D.Sc. Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...

degree by his alma mater

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khosla, Ajudhiya Nath Governors of Odisha Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in civil service Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in science & engineering Nominated members of the Rajya Sabha Members of the Planning Commission of India 1892 births 1984 deaths Indian irrigation engineers IIT Roorkee alumni 20th-century Indian engineers 20th-century Indian educational theorists Engineers from Odisha