The Profession of Engineering and Unemployment in Colonial Madras (1859–1935)

Abstract

The development of the engineering profession in colonial Madras did not originate from metropolitan models or indigenous precedents, but it was the result of the exigencies of running the empire. The Civil Engineering College, Guindy, was established in the year 1859 to supply the wants of the Public Works Department. Unlike the professions of law and medicine, the students of engineering completely relied on the state for their job, and the prospect of employment was not optimistic. By the 1930s, the problem of unemployment was apparent among engineering graduates, and a Madras Unemployment Committee was formed to examine the matter. However, the writings on the engineering profession have mainly dealt with the origin and growth of the institutes. The historiography is silent on the question of unemployment among emerging graduates. Viewed in this context, the article explores the progress of the profession of engineering and tries to locate the issue of unemployment among engineering students in colonial Madras.