Because he has changed the way the urban Indian commutes. Because no challenge is unsurmountable for India's metro man. In 1963, Sreedharan was given the charge of rebuilding the Pamban bridge in Rameswaram, one of the most difficult constructions in India that was estimated to take at least six months. Sreedharan completed it in three months. Because he built the Konkan Railway, one of the greatest feats by Indians, and he built the Delhi Metro right on schedule, making it a benchmark for metro construction in every other city in India. Because he has been trying to retire for over a decade, but the country needs his services so much that it won't let him.