Padma Shri Bridge Man of India Girish Bharadwaj dies at 76

Girish Bharadwaj, the pioneering engineer celebrated as the "Bridge Man of India," died on Tuesday, July 7, at a private hospital in Sullia, Karnataka. He was 76. His death followed a brief illness related to a heart condition.

Bharadwaj earned national acclaim for designing and constructing more than 140 low-cost suspension footbridges across remote parts of India over more than three decades. His work connected isolated villages in states including Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, and Odisha to essential services such as schools, hospitals, and markets. In recognition of his contributions to rural infrastructure, the Indian government awarded him the Padma Shri, the country's fourth-highest civilian honor, in 2017.

A mechanical engineering graduate from P.E.S. College of Engineering in Mandya, Bharadwaj's journey began in 1989 when villagers from Aramburu in Dakshina Kannada district requested his help to build a crossing over the Payaswini River. Despite having no formal training in civil engineering, he studied suspension bridge design independently. With villagers pooling funds and contributing labor, the project was completed for less than two lakh rupees that same year. This...