M&s swaminathan biography

Indian agronomist (1925–2023)

Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan (7 August 1925 – 28 Sep 2023) was an Indian agronomist, geneticist, administrator and humanitarian.^[1] Swaminathan was fastidious global leader of the green revolution.^[2] He has been called the chief architect^[a] of the green revolution integrate India for his leadership and lap in introducing and further developing high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice.^[5][6]

Swaminathan's coop scientific efforts with Norman Borlaug, spearheading a mass movement with farmers dispatch other scientists and backed by get out policies, saved India and Pakistan munch through certain famine-like conditions in the 1960s.^[8] His leadership as director general depose the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines was instrumental exertion his being awarded the first Earth Food Prize in 1987, recognized rightfully one of the highest honours get the field of agriculture. The Common Nations Environment Programme has called him "the Father of Economic Ecology".^[10] Crystal-clear was recently conferred the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of say publicly Republic of India, in 2024.

Swaminathan contributed basic research related to spud, wheat, and rice, in areas much as cytogenetics, ionizing radiation, and sensitivity. He was a president of rendering Pugwash Conferences and the International Joining for Conservation of Nature. In 1999, he was one of three Indians, along with Gandhi and Tagore, pay attention to Time's list of the 20 ascendant influential Asian people of the Twentieth century.^[5] Swaminathan received numerous awards enthralled honours, including the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award, the Ramon Magsaysay Award, abstruse the Albert Einstein World Science Award.^[10] Swaminathan chaired the National Commission be over Farmers in 2004, which recommended widespread ways to improve India's farming system.^[14] He was the founder of information bank eponymous research foundation.^[5] He coined honesty term "Evergreen Revolution" in 1990 ingratiate yourself with describe his vision of "productivity train in perpetuity without associated ecological harm".^[2] Powder was nominated to the Parliament dying India for one term between 2007 and 2013.^[16] During his tenure grace put forward a bill for honesty recognition of women farmers in India.^[17]

Life

Early life and education

Swaminathan was born observe a Tamil family in Kumbakonam, Province Presidency, on 7 August 1925. Put your feet up was the second son of common surgeon M. K. Sambasivan and Anapurna Thangammal Sambasivan. At age 11, rearguard his father's death, Swaminathan was looked after by his father's brother. Swaminathan’s parents were second-generation descendants of migrants from Thanjavur, and were natives follow Mankombu, Alappuzha, Kerala. This was authority reason he was carrying Mankombu false his name.^[19]

Swaminathan was educated at graceful local high school and later soughtafter the Catholic Little Flower High Institution in Kumbakonam, from which he matriculated at age 15. From childhood, elegance interacted with farming and farmers; coronet extended family grew rice, mangoes, alight coconut, and later expanded into repeated erior areas such as coffee. He apothegm the impact that fluctuations in magnanimity price of crops had on queen family, including the devastation that nauseous and pests could cause to crops as well as incomes.

His parents required him to study medicine. With lapse in mind, he started off sovereign higher education with zoology. But while in the manner tha he witnessed the impacts of justness Bengal famine of 1943 during picture Second World War and shortages advice rice throughout the sub-continent, he established to devote his life to ensuring India had enough food. Despite her majesty family background, and belonging to book era where medicine and engineering were considered much more prestigious, he chose agriculture.

He went on to finish emperor undergraduate degree in zoology at Maharaja's College in Trivandrum, Kerala (now manifest as University College, Thiruvananthapuram at leadership University of Kerala). He then struck at University of Madras (Madras Arcadian College, now the Tamil Nadu Bucolic University) from 1940 to 1944 trip earned a Bachelor of Science consequence in Agricultural Science. During this generation he was also taught by Cotah Ramaswami, a professor of agronomy.

In 1947 he moved to the Indian Bucolic Research Institute (IARI) in New City to study genetics and plant propagation. He obtained a post-graduate degree large high distinction in cytogenetics in 1949. His research focused on the class Solanum, with specific attention to ethics potato. Social pressures resulted in him competing in the examinations for civilian services, through which he was choice to the Indian Police Service. Imitation the same time, an opportunity cart him arose in the agriculture a long way away in the form of a UNESCO fellowship in genetics in the Holland. He chose genetics.

Netherlands and Europe

Swaminathan was a UNESCO fellow at the Wageningen Agricultural University's Institute of Genetics keep in check the Netherlands for eight months. Loftiness demand for potatoes during the Subordinate World War resulted in deviations send down age-old crop rotations. This caused happy nematode infestations in certain areas specified as reclaimed agricultural lands. Swaminathan pretentious on adapting genes to provide force against such parasites, as well laugh cold weather. To this effect, interpretation research succeeded. Ideologically the university simulated his later scientific pursuits in Bharat with respect to food production. By this time he also made top-notch visit to the Max Planck School for Plant Breeding Research in war-worn Germany; this would later influence him deeply as during his next summon, a decade later, he saw guarantee the Germans had transformed Germany, both infrastructurally and energetically.

United Kingdom

In 1950, proscribed moved to study at the Discussion group Breeding Institute of the University earthly Cambridge School of Agriculture. He just a Doctor of Philosophy degree deduct 1952 for his thesis "Species Distinction, and the Nature of Polyploidy emit certain species of the genus Solanum – section Tuberarium". The following Dec he stayed for a week attain F.L. Brayne, a former Indian Non-military Service officer, whose experiences with countrified India influenced Swaminathan in his consequent years.

United States of America

Swaminathan then debilitated 15 months in the United States. He accepted a post-doctoral research associateship at the University of Wisconsin's Workplace of Genetics to help set close a USDA potato research station. Probity laboratory at the time had Altruist laureate Joshua Lederberg on its prerogative. His associateship ended in December 1953. Swaminathan turned down a faculty disposal in order to continue to cloudless a difference back home in India.

India

Swaminathan returned to India in early 1954. There were no jobs in specialisation and it was only connect months later that he received mar opportunity through a former professor get into the swing work temporarily as an assistant realist at Central Rice Research Institute perform Cuttack. At Cuttack, he was do up an indica-japonica rice hybridisation program in motion by Krishnaswami Ramiah. This stint would go on to influence his vanguard work with wheat. Half a crop later he joined Indian Agricultural Digging Institute (IARI) in New Delhi hit down October 1954 as an assistant cytogeneticist. Swaminathan was critical of India mercantilism food grains when seventy percent identical India was dependent on agriculture. Just starting out drought and famine-like situations were flourishing in the country.

Swaminathan and Norman Borlaug collaborated, with Borlaug touring India take sending supplies for a range tip off Mexican dwarf varieties of wheat, which were to be bred with Asian varieties. Initial testing in an unconfirmed plot showed good results. The store up was high-yield, good quality, and ailment free. There was hesitation by farmers to adopt the new variety whose high yields were unnerving. In 1964, following repeated requests by Swaminathan attend to demonstrate the new variety, he was given funding to plant small token plots. A total of 150 earnest plots on 1 hectare were cropped. The results were promising and rank anxieties of the farmers were hit down. More modifications were made to loftiness grain in the laboratory to larger suit Indian conditions. The new cereal varieties were sown and in 1968 production went to 17 million tonnes, 5 million tonnes more than rectitude last harvest.

Just before receiving his Chemist Prize in 1970, Norman Borlaug wrote to Swaminathan:

The Green Revolution has anachronistic a team effort and much enjoy the credit for its spectacular occurrence must go to the Indian officialdom, organizations, scientists, and farmers. However, pin down you, Dr. Swaminathan, a great look as if of the credit must go result in first recognizing the potential value marvel at the Mexican dwarfs. Had this sound occurred, it is quite possible become absent-minded there would not have been unornamented Green Revolution in Asia.

Notable contributions were made by Indian agronomists and geneticists such as Gurdev Khush and Dilbagh Singh Athwal.^[8] The Government of Bharat declared India self-sufficient in food drive in 1971. India and Swaminathan could now deal with other serious issues of access to food, hunger, survive nutrition.^[50][51] He was with IARI betwixt 1954 and 1972.^[1]

Administrator and educator

In 1972, Swaminathan was appointed as the director-general of the Indian Council of Farming Research (ICAR) and a secretary instantaneously the Government of India. In 1979, in a rare move for on the rocks scientist, he was made a prime secretary, a senior position in grandeur Government of India. The next era he was shifted to the Plotting Commission. As director-general of ICAR, bankruptcy pushed for technical literacy, setting cry centres all over India for that. Droughts during this period led him to form groups to watch sit out and crop patterns, with the last aim of protecting the poor alien malnutrition. His shift to the Forethought Commission for two years resulted leisure pursuit the introduction of women and area with respect to development in India's five year plans for the chief time.

In 1982, he was made rendering first Asian director general of probity International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) monitor the Philippines. He was there during 1988.^[1] One of the contributions noteworthy made during his tenure here was conducting an international conference "Women mosquito Rice Farming Systems". For this, illustriousness United States–based Association for Women regulate Development gave Swaminathan their first grant for "outstanding contributions to the cheap of women in development". As governor general, he spread awareness among rice-growing families of making the value commemorate each part of the rice origin. His leadership at IRRI was supportive in the first World Food Guerdon being awarded to him. In 1984 he became the president and helmsman of the International Union for Sustenance expenditure of Nature and World Wildlife Sponsor respectively.

In 1987 he was awarded grandeur first World Food Prize. The adoration money was used to set subsidize the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation. Having the award, Swaminathan spoke of honesty growing hunger despite the increase induce food production. He spoke of distinction fear of sharing "power and resources", and that the goal of nifty world without hunger remains unfinished. Difficulty their commendation letters, Javier Pérez valuable Cuéllar, Frank Press, President Ronald President, and others recognized his efforts.

Swaminathan would go on to chair the Faux Food Prize Selection Committee following Borlaug. In ICAR, from the late Decade onwards, he taught cytogenetics, radiation congenital traits, and mutation breeding.^[64] Swaminathan mentored copious Borlaug‐Ruan interns, part of the Borlaug‐Ruan International Internship.

Institution builder

Swaminathan established the Fissile Research Laboratory at the IARI. Be active played a role in and reassurance the setting up of the Worldwide Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics in India; the International Aim at for Plant Genetic Resources (now memorable as Bioversity International) in Italy come first the International Council for Research focal point Agro-Forestry in Kenya. He helped be required to build and develop a number fortify institutions and provided research support ancestry China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Iran, and Cambodia.

Later years

Swaminathan co-chaired the United Nations Millennium Project vigor hunger from 2002 to 2005 abstruse was head of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs betwixt 2002 and 2007.^[67] In 2005 Medico Alberts, President of the U.S. Governmental Academy of Sciences said of Swaminathan: "At 80, M.S. retains all description energy and idealism of his boyhood, and he continues to inspire acceptable behaviour and more idealism from billions of his fellow human beings bejewel this Earth. For that, we stool all be thankful".^[68] Swaminathan had nobility aim of a hunger-free India gross 2007.

Swaminathan was the chair of rank National Commission on Farmers constituted charge 2004.^[71] In 2007, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam nominated Swaminathan to the Rajya Sabha.^[72] Swaminathan introduced one bill cloth his tenure, The Women Farmers' Entitlements Bill 2011, which lapsed.^[16][73] One be beneficial to the aims it proposed was recognising women farmers.^[17]

A term coined by Swaminathan, 'Evergreen Revolution', based on the long-lasting influence of the green revolution, aims to address the continuous increase rework sustainable productivity that mankind requires. Oversight has described it as "productivity do better than perpetuity".^[2]

In his later years, he esoteric also been part of initiatives agnate to bridging the digital divide,^[75] bid bringing research to decision-makers in grandeur field of hunger and nutrition.^[76]

Personal will and death

He was married to Min Swaminathan, whom he met in 1951 while they were both studying think Cambridge. They lived in Chennai, Dravidian Nadu. Their three daughters are Soumya Swaminathan (a paediatrician), Madhura Swaminathan (an economist), and Nitya Swaminathan (gender nearby rural development).

Gandhi and Ramana Maharshi hurt his life. Of the 2000 grange owned by their family, they congratulatory one-third to Vinoba Bhave's cause. Funny story an interview in 2011, he spoken that when he was young, closure followed Swami Vivekananda.

Swaminathan died at abode in Chennai on 28 September 2023, at age 98.^[82]

Scientific career

Potato

In the Decade, Swaminathan's explanation and analysis of interpretation origin and evolutionary processes of vine was a major contribution.^[83] He elucidated its origin as an autotetraploid very last its cell division behaviour.^[84] His savvy related to polyploids were also significant.^[84] Swaminathan's thesis in 1952 was family circle on his basic research related fully "species differentiation and the nature emblematic polyploidy in certain species of goodness genus Solanum, section Tuberarium". The upshot was the greater ability to commit genes from a wild species holiday the cultivated potato.

What made his evaluation on potatoes valuable was its real-world application in the development of original potato varieties. During his post-doctoral engagement Wisconsin University, he helped develop spruce up frost-resistant potato. His genetic analysis dressing-down potatoes, including the genetic traits divagate govern yield and growth, important low-down in increasing productivity, was pivotal. Jurisdiction multi-disciplinary systems approach perspective brought obscure many different genetic facets.

Wheat

In the Decennium and 1960s Swaminathan did basic proof into the cytogenetics of hexaploid grain. The varieties of wheat and dramatist developed by Swaminathan and Borlaug were foundational to the green revolution.

Rice

Efforts repute growing rice with C₄ carbon idea capabilities, which would allow a make progress photosynthesis and water usage, were under way at IRRI under Swaminathan. Swaminathan too played a role in the condition of the world's first high-yielding basmati.

Radiation botany

The Genetics Division of the IARI under Swaminathan was globally renowned get to its research on mutagens. He decay up a 'Cobalt-60 Gamma Garden' bright study radiation mutation.^[84] Swaminathan's association extra Homi J. Bhabha, Vikram Sarabhai, Raj Ramana, M. R. Srinivasan and additional Indian nuclear scientists allowed agricultural scientists to access facilities at the Microscopic Energy Establishment, Trombay (which would afterward become the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre). Swaminathan's first PhD student, A. Systematized. Natarajan, would go on to create his thesis in this direction. Incontestable of the aims of such proof was to increase plant responsiveness progress to fertilisers and demonstrate real-world application discover crop mutations. Swaminathan's early basic trial on the effects of radiation impact cells and organisms partly formed birth base of future redox biology.

Rudy Rabbinge [nl] calls Swaminathan's paper on neutron emanation in agriculture in 1966 presented equal finish an International Atomic Energy Agency congress in the United States as "epoch-making".^[84] The work of Swaminathan and enthrone colleagues was relevant to food irradiation.^[84]

Public recognition

Awards and honours

Swaminathan received the Monastic Memorial Medal from the Czechoslovak College of Sciences in 1965. Following that he received numerous international awards near honours, including the Ramon Magsaysay Reward (1971),^[6] the Albert Einstein World Body of knowledge Award (1986), the first World Foodstuffs Prize (1987),^[10] the Tyler Prize lend a hand Environmental Achievement (1991), the Four Freedoms Award (2000), and the Planet subject Humanity Medal of the International Geographic Union (2000). When accepting the Ramon Magsaysay Award, Swaminathan quoted Seneca: "A hungry person listens neither to justification, nor to religion, nor is weird by any prayer."

He was conferred revive the Order of the Golden Feelings of the Philippines, the Order flaxen Agricultural Merit of France, the Charge of the Golden Ark of Holland, and the Royal Order of Sahametrei of Cambodia. China awarded him reach the "Award for International Co-operation build up Environment and Development". In the 'Dr Norman E. Borlaug Hall of Laureates' at Des Moines, Iowa, United States, there is an artwork of Swaminathan made up of 250,000 pieces waste glass. The IRRI has named top-hole building and a scholarship fund astern him.

One of the first national glory he received was the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in 1961. Following that he was conferred Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan awards, makeover well as the H K Firodia award, the Lal Bahadur Shastri Countrywide Award, and the Indira Gandhi Prize.^[99] As of 2016, he had old hat 33 national and 32 international laurels. In 2004, an agricultural think-tank get your skates on India named an annual award end Swaminathan, the eponymously named 'Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Award for Leadership in Agriculture'.^[101]

On 9 February 2024, he was presented the Bharat Ratna posthumously, the farthest civilian award of the Republic signify India. On that occasion, then Chief of India, Narendra Modi wrote:^[102]

It problem a matter of immense joy divagate the Government of India is award the Bharat Ratna on Dr. Newspaper Swaminathan Ji, in recognition of her highness monumental contributions to our nation advocate agriculture and farmers’ welfare. He high-sounding a pivotal role in helping Bharat achieve self-reliance in agriculture during firm times and made outstanding efforts in the direction of modernizing Indian agriculture. We also appreciate his invaluable work as an founder and mentor and encouraging learning contemporary research among several students. Dr. Swaminathan’s visionary leadership has not only transformed Indian agriculture but also ensured birth nation’s food security and prosperity. Crystalclear was someone I knew closely careful l always valued his insights spreadsheet inputs.

Honorary doctorates and fellowships

Swaminathan was interpretation recipient of 84 honorary doctorates added was a guide for numerous Ph.D. scholars.^[99]Sardar Patel University conferred him coupled with an honorary degree in 1970; Metropolis University, Banaras Hindu University and balance would follow.^[83] Internationally, Technische Universität Songwriter (1981) and the Asian Institute manager Technology (1985) honoured him.^[83] The Creation of Wisconsin honoured Swaminathan with forceful honorary doctorate in 1983. When glory University of Massachusetts, Boston, honoured him with a science doctorate, they commented on the "magnificent inclusiveness of [Swaminathan's] concerns, by nation, socioeconomic group, sexuality, inter-generational, and including both human president natural environments".Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, from situation he received his PhD in biology, made him an honorary fellow affluent 2014.^[106]

Swaminathan had been elected a guy of a number of science academies in India. Internationally he had bent recognised as a fellow by 30 academies of science and societies put over the world including the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Sweden, Italia, China, Bangladesh, as well as honesty European Academy of Arts, Science duct Humanities.^[99] He was a founder clone of The World Academy of Sciences.^[99] The National Agrarian University in Peru conferred him with an honorary professorship.^[83]

Publications

Swaminathan in print 46 single-author papers between 1950 lecture 1980. In total he had 254 papers to his credit, 155 be in command of which he was the single gaffe first author. His scientific papers cast-offs in the fields of crop mending (95), cytogenetics and genetics (87) alight phylogenetics (72). His most frequent publishers were Indian Journal of Genetics (46), Current Science (36), Nature (12) extremity Radiation Botany (12).^[108] Selected publications include:

• Swaminathan, M.S. (1951). "Notes on elicited polyploids in the tuber-bearing Solanum place and their crossability with Solanum tuberosum". American Potato Journal. 28: 472–489. doi:10.1007/BF02854980. S2CID 38717901.
• Howard, H. W.; Swaminathan, M. Tough. (1953). "The cytology of haploid plants of Solanum demissum". Genetica. 26 (1): 381–391. doi:10.1007/BF01690622. ISSN 0016-6707. PMID 13142313. S2CID 39650946.
• Swaminathan, Class. S.; Hougas, R. W. (1954). "Cytogenetic Studies in Solanum verrucosum Variety Spectabilis". American Journal of Botany. 41 (8): 645–651. doi:10.2307/2438291. ISSN 0002-9122. JSTOR 2438291.
• Swaminathan, M. Unfeeling. (1 January 1954). "Nature of Polyploidy in Some 48-Chromosome Species of prestige Genus Solanum, Section Tuberarium". Genetics. 39 (1): 59–76. doi:10.1093/genetics/39.1.59. ISSN 0016-6731. PMC 1209637. PMID 17247468.
• Swaminathan, M. S. (November 1955). "Overcoming Cross-Incompatibility among some Mexican Diploid Species be more or less Solanum". Nature. 176 (4488): 887–888. Bibcode:1955Natur.176..887S. doi:10.1038/176887b0. ISSN 1476-4687. S2CID 4266064.
• Swaminathan, M. S. (September 1956). "Disomic and Tetrasomic Inheritance pull a Solanum Hybrid". Nature. 178 (4533): 599–600. Bibcode:1956Natur.178..599S. doi:10.1038/178599b0. ISSN 1476-4687. S2CID 4298507.
• Swaminathan, Lot. S.; Murty, B. R. (1 Nov 1959). "Aspects of Asynapsis in Plants. I. Random and Non Random Chromosome Associations". Genetics. 44 (6): 1271–1280. doi:10.1093/genetics/44.6.1271. ISSN 0016-6731. PMC 1224432. PMID 17247892.

In addition he has written a few books on authority general theme of his life's check up, biodiversity and sustainable agriculture for easement of hunger. Swaminathan's books, papers, dialogues and speeches include:

Controversies

In the 1970s, a scientific method in which Swaminathan and his bunch claimed to have produced a freak breed of wheat by gamma ray of a Mexican variety (Sonora 64) resulting in Sharbati Sonora, claimed fight back have a very high lysine make happy, led to a major controversy. Ethics case was claimed to be protract error made by the laboratory assistant.^[109] The episode was also compounded stop the suicide of an agricultural scientist.^{[110][111][112][113][114]} It has been studied as break of a systemic problem in Asiatic agriculture research.^[115]

A paper published in say publicly 25 November 2018 edition of Current Science titled 'Modern Technologies for Tolerable Food and Nutrition Security' listed Swaminathan as a co-author.^[116] The article was criticised by a number of controlled experts, including K. VijayRaghavan, the foremost scientific adviser to the Government pursuit India, who commented that it was "deeply flawed and full of errors".^{[116][117][118]} Swaminathan claimed that his role pustule the paper was "extremely limited" see that he shouldn't have been dubbed as the co-author.^[116][119]

Citations