Padma Shri Awardee Girish Bharadwaj Passes Away At 76 In Sullia

Girish Bharadwaj, a renowned mechanical engineer popularly known as the "Bridge Man of India," passed away on Tuesday at the age of 76. He died due to a cardiac condition at a private hospital in Sullia, located in Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada district, where he had spent decades transforming rural connectivity.

Bharadwaj was widely celebrated for constructing more than 300 low-cost suspension footbridges that connected remote and isolated villages across the country. His innovative, budget-friendly designs provided safe passage over swollen rivers and canals, helping communities that were otherwise cut off from the mainstream.

Upon completing his mechanical engineering degree in 1973, Bharadwaj chose to stay in rural India and established a workshop in Sullia. He began engaging in projects beyond regular metal works after witnessing the severe seasonal challenges faced by local residents.

Because Dakshina Kannada district receives heavy rainfall due to its geography, villagers were frequently deprived of road transportation during the wet season. Many had to make life-threatening attempts to walk across swollen rivers, or rely on swimming and boats to get across. The lack of reliable connectivity also forced some local children to drop out of school.

Determined to find a cost-efficient solution, Bharadwaj built his first hanging footbridge in 1989 over the Payaswini River at Aramburu in Sullia. The modest, budget-friendly structure marked the beginning of his life's work. Over the following decades, he went on to construct hundreds of similar bridges across Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha.

His suspension footbridges offered a simple and practical causeway for many isolated communities. The design became so successful in rural areas that the government eventually adopted Bharadwaj’s concept to build hanging bridges for rural infrastructure.

In 2017, the Government of India honoured Bharadwaj with the country's fourth-highest civilian award, the Padma Shri. His achievements also included receiving honorary doctorates from institutions such as the University of Mysuru. A biopic about his life and work, titled "Sethu Bandhu," was also announced by filmmaker Santhosh Kodenkeri.