Girish Bharadwaj

Girish Bharadwaj
Girish Bharadwaj
Girish Bharadwaj
Born(1950-05-02)2 May 1950
Sullia, Mysore State, India
Died7 July 2026(2026-07-07) (aged 76)
Sullia, Karnataka, India
Other namesSethu Bandhu, Bridgeman of India
OccupationEngineer
Honours

Girish Bharadwaj (2 May 1950 – 7 July 2026) was an Indian social worker often referred to as Sethu Bandhu and Bridgeman of India for building around 127 bridges in remote villages across India. He was conferred the Padma Shri award in 2017.[1][2][3]

Background

Bharadwaj was born on 2 May 1950, and hailed from Sullia in Karnataka. He graduated with a mechanical engineering degree in 1973 from P.E.S. College of Engineering in Mandya.[1][4] Bharadwaj and his wife, Usha, had three children.

Bharadwaj died in Sullia on 7 July 2026, at the age of 76.[5][6]

Career

Bharadwaj built his first bridge in 1989 across the Payaswini river at Arambur in Southern Karnataka. Following that, he built around thirty bridges in Kerala, two each in Telangana and Odisha, while the rest of his works are in various parts of Karnataka.[2][7]

Recognition

In 2017, Bharadwaj was honoured by the Government of India with Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 "Sullia's bridge-man gets Padma Shri". The Times of India. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Padma Shri award: 'Bridge Man' credits it to his employees". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  3. ↑ "Invincible Indians: Solid People, Solid Stories". Firstpost. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  4. ↑ "Bridge man Girish Bharadwaj at VVIET". Star of Mysore. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  5. ↑ "'Bridge Man of India' Girish Bharadwaj passes away in Sullia". The Hindu. 7 July 2026. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
  6. ↑ "ದೇಶದ ತೂಗು ಸೇತುವೆಗಳ ಸರದಾರ ಪದ್ಮಶ್ರೀ ಪುರಸ್ಕೃತ ಡಾ.ಗಿರೀಶ್ ಭಾರದ್ವಾಜ್ ನಿಧನ, ಕಳಚಿತು ಹಳ್ಳಿಗಳ ಸಂಪರ್ಕದ ಕೊಂಡಿ". Asianet Suvarna News (in Kannada).
  7. ↑ "Padma award winners from Karnataka are an eclectic mix". The Hindu. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  8. ↑ "President Pranab Mukherjee confers Padma awards". Outlook. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
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