N E Borlaug - NAVNIRMIT BHARAT

M. S. Swaminathan: The Father of Green Revolution in India: एम एस स्वामीनाथन: भारत में हरित क्रांति के जनक। N E Borlaug/CIMMYT.

India become independent in the year 1947, there were lot of challenges during this time and the major one is food grain production which is only 51 Million tones in 1950-51. This was the serious issue because india population were growing and this production statistics couldnt able to feed the nation. India needed a strong boost in the food grain production, changes in Agriculture technologies and farming system. In this context, indian goverenment took some steps like Stablishment of First Agriculture University “Uttar Pradesh Agriculture University” Later name changed as Govind Vallabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, The year of 1960 Green revolution Period is started.

The Green Revolution was a period that began in the 1960s during which agriculture in India was converted into a modern Agriculture 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. Varieties or strains of crops can be selected by breeding for various useful characteristics such as disease resistance, response to fertilizers, product quality and high yields.

Indian Goverenment proposed and our honerable President announced to Honor Bharat Ratna Award to Late Dr. M S Swaminathan, we will remember his contribution towards Indian Agriculture on this occation.

Early Life and Education: Swaminathan was born in Kumbakonam, Madras Presidency, on 7 August 1925. Swaminathan initially educated from a local school and passed mericulation at the age of 15. Although his family background but his extended family grew rice, mangoes, and coconut, and later expanded into other areas such as coffee. his family wanted to him a doctor from this mindset he started his secondery education from Zoology but bengal femine happened during world war 2 and entire subcontinent suffered food grain shortages and lot of people died this incidence changed his midset and he decided to work for Agriculture to ensures the food availbility. He finished the undergraduate degree in Zoology and went to University of Madras(Currently TNAU) to study Agriculture, He obtained Bachelor In Agriculture degree 1940-44. In 1947 he moved to IARI to study Genetics and Plant Breeding and got Master’s degree in Cytogenetics. due to family pressure, he attended the Civil Services Exam and selected IPS officer same time he got the opportunity in UNESCO fellowship in Genetics in Netherlands and he choose Genetics field.

Swaminathan was a UNESCO fellow at the Wageningen Agricultural University’s Institute of Genetics in the Netherlands for eight months. During world war 2, Potato crop is contineously grown in some specifis areas which results the development of Golden Nematode, Swaminathan identified the problem and start work on the adeptive gens which provide the ressistence against this nematode as well as would be tolerable for extreme cold conditions, he got success on this project. he moved to United Kingdom in 1950 to persue Doctor Degree in Plant breeding and worked on the Thesis topic of “Species Differentiation, and the Nature of Polyploidy in certain species of the genus Solanum – section Tuberarium” and earned Doctorate in 1952. He accepted a post-doctoral research associateship at the University of Wisconsin’s Laboratory of Genetics to help set up a USDA potato research station. His associateship ended in December 1953. Swaminathan turned down a faculty position in order to continue to make a difference back home in India.

The Story Of Green Revolution in India:

Dr. Swaminathan returned to India in 1954 and there are no any opportuniy for him during that time. three month later he joind as a temporary position as a assistant Botanist in IRRI Cuttack in the Indica-Japonica Hybrid rice programme, he got motivated here to work in whaet in future. after six month he got an opportunity in IARI as a assistant cytogeneticist, he was very serious about the food import from other countries while indian is dependent 70% on agriculture and some other challenges also regarding drought and different femines.

There are wheat improvement programme were going on in CIMMYT where they were using Norin 10- Brevor 14 in the breeding programme which results semi dwarf wheat varities which have huge global value. N E Borlaug made first successful cross in 1955 and two varities were released Pitic 62 and Penjamo 62. In the year 1962 the yield potential of the genotypes carring norin 10 gene recognised in india which were supplied by N E Borlaug and grown and tested in IARI. out of that bLerma rojo 64-A and Sonora 64 were found suitable for indian conditions.

Initially farmer were hesitating to adopt the high yielding new varities as its yield potential were unknown for the farmers. Dr. Swaminathan was repeatedly requesting to demonstrate the new variety in the farmers field, In the year 1964, he got the funding to conduct 150 the small demonstration plots on the farmers field. results was promising and farmers got confidence to cultivate the high yielding new variety.

During that period in 1963 IARI recieved some Segregating improved weat segregating material from CIMMYT which was good in rust ressistence, shattering, maturity and grain type, Swaminathan and along with his couligues made selections on these material and identified the material which is suited for indian conditions along with all the good values which rise the varieties like Kalyan Sona, Sonalika, Choti lerma and Safed Lerma. later Kalyan sona and Sonalika become so popular in India for almost two decades. Notable contributions were made by Indian agronomists and geneticists such as Gurdev Khush and Dilbagh Singh Athwal.

In the year 1968 new variety were grown into the farmers field and its become milestone as india produces 17 million tonnes of wheat as compare to 5 million tonnes previous year. The gorenment of India declared india self-sufficient in food grain production in 1971.

Position held by Dr. Swaminathan:

Director-general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and a secretary to the Government of India(1972-1978).
He was made the first Asian director general of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines(1982-1988).
In 1984 he became the president and vice-president of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and World Wildlife Fund respectively.
Swaminathan co-chaired the United Nations Millennium Project(2002-2005).
Head of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs (2002-2007).
Swaminathan was the chair of the National Commission on Farmers constituted in 2004.
In 2007, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam nominated Swaminathan to the Rajya Sabha.

Notable Awards:

Swaminathan received the Mendel Memorial Medal from the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in 1965.
The Ramon Magsaysay Award 1971.
The Albert Einstein World Science Award 1986.
The first World Food Prize 1987.
The Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement 1991.
The Four Freedoms Award 2000.
The Planet and Humanity Medal of the International Geographical Union 2000.
The first national awards he received was the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in 1961.
The Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award, and the Indira Gandhi Prize.
The Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan awards.
In 2024, Goverenment announces Bharat Ratna award.

His contribution was immortal for indian agriculture and he secured the food safety of newly born india after independence. he was died in 28 October 2023 at the age of 98 year.

Credit: Wiki, Kalyani publications