Professor M S Swaminathan has been acclaimed by the TIME magazine as one of the twenty most influential Asians of the 20th century and one of the only three from India, the other two being Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore.
AMN / CHENNAI
Renowned Agricultural scientist Dr MS Swaminathan, popularly known as the father of India’s Green Revolution, passed away in Chennai today. He breathed his last at his residence. He was 98.
He is survived by three daughters – Soumya Swaminathan, Madhura Swaminathan and Nitya Rao. His wife Mina Swaminathan predeceased him.
Swaminathan brought a social revolution through his policies to rescue India from famine-like circumstances in the 1960s.
He founded the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation and played a vital role in developing high-yield variety seeds of wheat, which led to the green revolution in India. World-renowned for his work on the policy front, Swaminathan has received numerous international awards and honours, including Albert Einstein World Science Award in 1986, the first World Food Prize in 1987, Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement in 1991, and the Planet and Humanity Medal of International Geographical Union in 2000. He was conferred with Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan.
Born in Kumbakonam on August 7, 1925 to Dr. M.K. Sambasivan, a surgeon, and Ms. Parvati Thangammal, Swaminathan had his schooling there. His keen interest in agricultural science coupled with his father’s participation in the freedom movement and Mahatma Gandhi’s influence inspired him to pursue higher studies in the subject. He secured two undergraduate degrees, including one from the Agricultural College, Coimbatore (now, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University).
Dr. Swaminathan worked very closely with many former Prime Ministers of India, and Heads of states for the success of the ‘Green Revolution,’ a programme that paved the way for quantum jump in food production and for a “Hunger free India & World”. His advocacy of sustainable agriculture makes him an acknowledged world leader in the field of sustainable food security. He also worked closely with Norman Borlaug, a celebrated American farm scientist and 1970 Nobel Laureate on developing high yielding wheat varieties.
“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much, it is whether we provide enough for those who have little”
President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have expressed grief at the demise of Dr M S Swaminathan. In her message, President Murmu said, he was a visionary who worked endlessly to achieve food security and was rightly called the Father of Green Revolution. The President said he leaves behind a rich legacy of Indian agriculture science which may serve as a guiding light to steer the world towards a safer and hunger-free future for humanity.
In his message, Prime Minister Modi said that Dr MS Swaminathan’s groundbreaking work in agriculture transformed the lives of millions at a very critical period in India’s history, and ensured food security for the nation.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur has expressed sadness at the passing of Dr. MS Swaminathan, calling him the visionary person behind the green revolution in the country. In a social media post, Mr Thakur said his efforts ensured that India became a self-sufficient country in terms of food production.