Nation
mourns the passing away of a great son of India closer to becoming a Centurion
!! - the renowned agricultural Scientist
Dr MS Swaminathan is no more !
Heard
of : IR 20, IR 36, CO 43, CO 46, ADT 38, ADT 39, ADT 46, Bhavani, Mappillai
Samba; Karunguruvai; Seeraga Samba; Kudavazhai; Varappu Kudainchan, Ponni etc.,
- rice varieties of Tamilnadu - even those of us familiar with these names
would only imagine the picturesque image
of rice paddies -- lush, green fields, but fail to understand know how rice gets from the paddy to your
plate? The process is seriously labour intensive, requiring more steps than one
thinks is necessary for such tiny, little grains.
For his
contributions to the world food supply, Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970. Norwegian officials
notified his wife in Mexico City at 4:00 a.m., but Borlaug had already left for
the test fields in the Toluca valley, about 40 miles (65 km) west of Mexico
City. In his Nobel Lecture the following
day, he speculated on his award: "When the Nobel Peace Prize Committee
designated me the recipient of the 1970 award for my contribution to the 'green
revolution', they were in effect, I believe, selecting an individual to
symbolize the vital role of agriculture and food production in a world that is
hungry, both for bread and for peace".
Back home,
today we mourn the passing away of a great personality who by his revolutionary contributions to agriculture
steered Nation away from hunger. Dr.
Swaminathan was a powerhouse of innovation and a nurturing mentor to many. His
unwavering commitment to research and mentorship has left an indelible mark on
countless scientists and innovators. At
a very critical period in our nation’s history, his groundbreaking work in
agriculture transformed the lives of millions and ensured food security for our
nation.
Moncombu is a village in the district of Alappuzha in the state of Kerala, part of the Kuttanad delta region popularly mentioned as 'Rice bowl of Kerala'. Its unique geography embodied by Vembanad lake, inter-linked Pambaa, Manimala and Achenkovil river systems, gives rise to islands, back waters, network of waterways and canals, below sea-level paddy fields and marsh.
The Green Revolution was a period that began in the 1960s during which agriculture in India was converted into a modern industrial system by the adoption of technology, such as the use of high yielding variety (HYV) seeds, mechanised farm tools, irrigation facilities, pesticides, and fertilizers. Mainly led by agricultural scientist M. S. Swaminathan in India, this period was part of the larger Green Revolution endeavor initiated by Norman Borlaug, which leveraged agricultural research and technology to increase agricultural productivity in the developing world.
Under the premiership of Congress leaders Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi, the Green Revolution within India commenced in 1968, leading to an increase in food grain production, especially in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
MS Swaminathan was born in Kumbakonam, Madras Presidency on 7 August 1925. He was the second son of general surgeon M. K. Sambasivan and Parvati Thangammal Sambasivan, who hailed from Alappuzha district in Kerala. At age 11, Swaminathan lost his father – going by the wish of his to study medicine, he started off his higher education with zoology. When he witnessed the impacts of the Bengal famine of 1943 during the Second World War and shortages of rice throughout the sub-continent, he decided to devote his life to ensuring India had enough food. Despite his family background, and belonging to an era where medicine and engineering were considered much more prestigious, he chose agriculture.
He went on to finish
his undergraduate degree in zoology at Maharaja's College in Trivandrum, Kerala;
then studied at Madras Agricultural College, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Science.
Swaminathan was awarded the first World Food Prize in 1987 following which he
set up the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in Taramani, Chennai.
Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan - Indian agronomist, agricultural scientist, plant geneticist, administrator, and humanitarian is no more !! He was the main architect of the green revolution in India for his leadership and role in introducing and further developing high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice. Swaminathan's collaborative scientific efforts with Norman Borlaug, spearheading a mass movement with farmers and other scientists and backed by public policies, saved India and Pakistan from certain famine-like conditions in the 1960s. His leadership as director general of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines was instrumental in his being awarded the first World Food Prize in 1987, recognized as one of the highest honours in the field of agriculture. The United Nations Environment Programme has called him "the Father of Economic Ecology".
M S Swaminathan,
hailed as the father of India’s Green Revolution, passed away this day Thursday, 28th Sept 2023 . He was
98. Swaminathan was instrumental in developing high-yielding varieties of paddy
that helped ensure India’s low-income farmers produce more yield. His last
rites are likely to be held on Sunday.
During his tenure in office, Swaminathan served in various capacities across departments. He was appointed Director of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (1961-72), Director General of ICAR and Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (1972-79), Principal Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture (1979-80), Acting Deputy Chairman and later Member (Science and Agriculture), Planning Commission (1980-82) and Director General, International Rice Research Institute, the Philippines (1982-88). In 2004, Swaminathan was appointed as chair of the National Commission on Farmers, a commission setup to look into farmer distress amid alarming suicide cases. The commission submitted its report in 2006 and suggested, among its recommendations, that the Minimum Selling Price (MSP) should be at least 50 percent more than the weighted average cost of production.
Swaminathan has been conferred with the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and the Padma Vibhushan. He is also the recipient of the H K Firodia award, the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award and the Indira Gandhi Prize, apart from several international awards including the Ramon Magsaysay Award (1971) and the Albert Einstein World Science Award (1986).
Swaminathan is survived by his three daughters Soumya Swaminathan, Madhura Swaminathan, and Nitya Swaminathan. His wife Mina passed away in 2022.
In 1961 when Asia and specifically India was on the brink of mass famine, Borlaug was invited to India by the adviser to the Indian minister of agriculture M. S. Swaminathan. Despite bureaucratic hurdles imposed by India's grain monopolies, the Ford Foundation and Indian government collaborated import wheat seed from CIMMYT. Punjab was selected by the Indian government to be the first site to try the new crops because of its reliable water supply and a history of agricultural success. India began its own Green Revolution program of plant breeding, irrigation development, and financing of agrochemicals.
Norman Ernest Borlaug
(1914 – 2009) was an American agronomist who led initiatives
worldwide that contributed to the extensive increases in agricultural
production termed the Green Revolution. Borlaug was awarded multiple honors for
his work, including the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom
and the Congressional Gold Medal.
Borlaug was often called "the father of the Green Revolution",
and is credited with saving over a
billion people worldwide from starvation.
Some time back a new rose variety was named after the eminent agriculture scientist MS Swaminathan. The Rose is highly disease resistant with rich magenta purple colour with stimulating aroma. Kodaikanal-based M.S. Viraraghavan, India’s leading horticulturist and rose breeder, bred and named it as THE M.S. SWAMINATHAN ROSE, in the honour of Prof. Swaminathan.
The Nation today
mourns the death of a Man who has left indelible impression in ensuring that we
have enough to eat.
With profound regrets in his passing away – S Sampathkumar
28.9.2023
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