The IndiAgent News Times: M S Swaminathan

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Shri M S Swaminathan MSSR Foundation: Biography

It is time that the Indian Government conferred the Bharat Ratna upon Shri M S Swaminathan. Would it not be great for the youngsters of this age to reminisce and appreciate this man's career? And yes to admire his relentless drive for the responsible application of technology in the development of world agriculture.

Biography in pictures

M S Swaminathan, 1944

Born on August 7, 1925 to Mokombu Krishna Sambasivan and Parvathi Thangammal in Kumbakounam, Tamil Naidu, B.Sc in Biology, 1944, B.Sc in Agriculture, 1947, After his degree he went to Delhi to join PUSA, on entering Delhi, it was the 1947 Partition time, he gets to see lots of dead bodies on the road massacred. And this man promised himself that he would never bow his head down to any kind of religious fanaticism.In 1949, he was selected for the IPS Civil Service, but he rejects it and goes abroad for his UNESCO fellowship. Later, he took his Ph.D in agriculture from Cambridge, 1952.

Married Mina Boothalingam, 1955

He met her at Cambridge.

(they have three daughters)

Research work in agriculture

at Indian Agriculture Research Institute, 1960

Working hard in the lab

Working hard on the land

It is a "lab to land" + "land to lab" programme.

With Norman Borlaug, IARI, 1964, Borlaug is like one of the greatest scientists the world must say thank you to.

Indira Gandhi discussing with the farmers, 1968, MS Swaminathan behind the scenes.His works pioneers the Green Revolution that takes India out of the 1965 Dinner-less days, yes we were in severe famine, a ship to mouth was called for, and so he introduced and propagated the concept of "technicracy" (Literacy in Technology).

Receives World Food Prize recognition, 1987, using this Prize money he started the MSSR Foundation, 1988

to fulfill a dream he had in his mind thanks to C.V. Raman.

MSS receives the Padma Vibhushan from the President Sri R. Venkatraman, 1989, the Second highest award for service to the country.

A good wife who supported him so well all throughout, at Tokyo to receive another award, 1992. And he keeps working with the vision of a hunger-free world with nutrition for all and he ever-calls for the ever-green revolution. We Indians all ought to thank our "Father of the Indian Green Revolution".

Bharat Ratna M S Swaminathan

Shri M S Swaminathan, 1944

Click here to see his great biography in pictures

Dr. Swaminathan

He is really one of the greatest functional heroes of our time.

Back in 2008, I had written some letters to the Parliament members, I was not expecting any reply from them, since my letters were not of the nature of inquiry but rather just informative. And even then, the only member who cared to give a feedback was this man Dr. Swaminathan, who is currently a member of the Rajya Sabha. Then last year, I sent him a copy of my first book and in return he sent me his biography which was written by a Pakistani educationist called Anwar Dil.

With his "lab to land" programs, he changed the agro-scape of India. A land that was filled with famine was changed into a country of food surplus. His projects worked out because the then agricultural minister Dr. C. Subramaniam teamed up with him and facilitated the creation of a visionary agricultural policy. And the IAS officers of Punjab and Harayana did a brilliant job in implementing the policies.

He should get a Bharat Ratna soon. I wait for that occasion. Secondly, I really wish to meet this man in person. I wonder if I will ever get that chance.

Here is his message to the Farmers of the World

Message for Farmers all over the World

Prof M S Swaminathan

M S Swaminathan Research Foundation

Chennai, India

1. This decade may mark the beginning of a new climate era, characterized by extreme and often unpredictable weather conditions and rise in sea le vels. The recent Climate Conference in Copenhagen unfortunately failed to get a global commitment to halt economic growth based on high carbon intensity. Let us hope that the Climate Conference due to be held in Mexico in December this year will generate the political commitment essential to restrict the rise in global mean temperature to not more than 2ºC, as compared to the mean temperature of today. Even a 2ºC rise will affect adversely crop yields in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, which have a high degree of prevalence of endemic hunger. It will also lead to the possibility of small islands getting submerged. The greatest casualty of Climate Change will be food and water security.

2. Farmers of the world can help to avoid serious famines by developing and adopting climate resilient farming systems. 2010 has been declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Biodiversity. Biodiversity is the feedstock for a climate resilient agriculture. We should therefore redouble our efforts to prevent genetic erosion and to promote the conservation and sustainable and equitable use of biodiversity.

3. 2010 will also witness a major conference at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to review the progress made since the year 2000 in achieving the U N Millennium Development Goals. The first among these goals is the eradication of hunger and poverty. Unfortunately the number of hungry children, women and men, which was 800 million in 2000, is now over a billion. This is partly due to a rise in food prices, thereby making it difficult for the poor to have access to balanced diet at affordable prices. There is no time to relax and the farmers of the world must redouble the ir efforts to increase food production through an ever-green revolution pathway of increasing productivity in perpetuity without associated ecological harm. Without the total commitment of the two billion farmers of the world to produce more by adopting climate resilient farming systems, the goal of “food for all and for ever” cannot be reached.

4. This decade will show that the future belongs to Nations with grains and not guns. Human destiny during this decade and beyond will be shaped by farm women and men. This Decade will thus be the Decade of Farmers.

5. Overcoming hidden hunger caused by micronutrient deficiencies like iron, odine, zinc, Vitamin A and Vitamin B12 can be achieved by growing and consuming appropriate local vegetables and fruits. There is a horticultural remedy for every nutritional malady. Moringa, which is a jewel in the horticultural crown, is an example.

6. Urban and non- farming members of the human family should realize that we live on this planet as the guests of sunlight and green plants, and of the farm women and men who toil in sun and rain, and day and night, to produce food for over 6 billion people, by bringing about synergy between green plants and sunlight. Let us salute the farmers of the world and help them to help in achieving the goal of a hunger free world, the first among the U N Millennium Development Goals.

(M S Swaminathan)

January 12, 2010

Biography in pictures of Shri M S Swaminathan of MSS Research Foundation

It is time that the Indian Government conferred the Bharat Ratna to Shri M S Swaminathan. Would it not be great for the youngsters of this age to reminisce and appreciate this man's career? And yes to admire his relentless drive for the responsible application of technology in the development of world agriculture.