Girish Bharadwaj, 'Bridge Man Of India' Who Built Over 300 Hanging Foot-bridges, Dies At 76

Dakshina Kannada: Padma Shri awardee Girish Bharadwaj, famously known as the "Bridge Man of India," passed away at the age of 76 on Tuesday (July 7, 2026), at a private hospital in Sullia here in Karnataka. He was 76.

Bharadwaj succumbed to a heart-related ailment after being admitted to KVG Hospital a few days prior, as his health had deteriorated.

Expressing grief over his passing away, Sullia Tehsildar, Manjula said the hanging foot-bridges the deceased had built to facilitate the movement of people in rural areas "are a testament to his foresight and social thinking".

"He was a rare personality who used his engineering knowledge for the good of society. The country will always remember his service. With his departure, the society has lost a great engineer and humanitarian. I pray that the soul of the deceased may rest in peace and that God gives strength to his family members and fans to bear this grief," Manjula said.

An engineering graduate, Bharadwaj turned down attractive job offers from big companies and worked hard to empower rural people. He was a rare technical expert who was renowned for using technology for the benefit of the lives of rural people.

Bharadwaj helped connect hundreds of villages that were cut off from the mainstream, as there was no other means for the citizens to get across rivers and canals apart from swimming or using boats, in different states of India.

He came up with the design and construction of hanging footbridges to help citizens connect in a simple way. Bharadwaj's design and execution helped various governments save money instead of constructing large concrete structures across water reservoirs.

His design created a revolution across the country by designing eco-friendly hanging foot bridges which could be easily constructed at extremely low cost budgets for rural areas, keeping with their indigenous materials.

'Bridge Man Of India'

After completing his degree in Mechanical Engineering, Bharadwaj started a small workshop in Sullia with his father to build their dreams. Interestingly, his engineering knowledge was not limited to just ironwork. Being aware of his surroundings and sensitive to those distant communities where infrastructure had not reached, made him think of designs and means to help these villagers connect.

He witnessed how rural folk, in the face of impassable rivers in peak monsoons and the plight of children who were forced to drop out or were unable to enrol in schools, helped him experiment with his ideas to construct rudimentary bridges.

Bharadwaj took upon himself to execute his first experiment of constructing his first hanging foot bridge, which was built across the Payaswini river in Aramburu, Sullia, in 1989. It was a major turning point in his life. He constructed the bridge with local materials and a limited budget.

The first bridge was just the beginning for Bharadwaj, who went on to build more than 300 hanging footbridges across Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. With this success, he began to be known as the 'Bridge Man of India'.

Low Cost, High Durability

Compared to the popular concrete bridges, his hanging foot bridges were built at a minimal cost. Among the key elements when constructing a bridge, he would gather the people of those villages where the bridge was being constructed. He would then proceed with involving the villagers along with the labourers, through the act of 'shramdaan', voluntary contribution of labour. This gave the villagers a feeling of ownership, that the bridge belonged to them. Bharadwaj believed this helped them look after the bridge with a lot more care.

Awards And Honours

His efforts were grand and something he never highlighted. However, he was highly respected and revered by the people for helping them become a part of this country, which is seen as a huge feat.

In recognition of his selfless social service, the Government of India honoured him with the country's fourth-highest civilian award, the Padma Shri, in 2017. Many institutions, including the University of Mysuru, honoured him with honorary doctorates.

Bharadwaj's life is going to be captured on film, as Santhosh Kodenkeri had announced that he was to make a biopic on Sethu Bandhu, the Bridgeman of India, for building around 139 bridges in remote villages across the country. This film is expected to be in Hindi and Kannada languages.