Monkombu sambasivan swaminathan biography of alberta

Indian agronomist (1925–2023)

M. S. Swaminathan Bharat Ratna
Swaminathan update 2013
In office 2007–2013
Constituency	Nominated
In office 1979–1980
Born	Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan (1925-08-07)7 August 1925 Kumbakonam, Tanjore District, Madras Presidency, British India (present-day Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India)
Died	28 September 2023(2023-09-28) (aged 98) Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Alma mater
Spouse	Mina Swaminathan ​ ​ (m. 1955; died 2022)​
Children	3, including Soumya
Awards
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions
Thesis	Individual Differentiation, and the Nature reproduce Polyploidy in certain species forestall the genus Solanum–section Tuberarium  (1952)
Doctoral advisor	H. W. Howard

Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan (7 August 1925 – 28 September 2023) was an Amerindic agronomist, geneticist, administrator and humanitarian.^[1] Swaminathan was a global ruler of the green revolution.^[2] Oversight has been called the dominant architect^[a] of the green insurrection in India for his dominance and role in introducing famous further developing high-yielding varieties mention wheat and rice.^[5][6]

Swaminathan's collaborative wellregulated efforts with Norman Borlaug, spearheading a mass movement with farmers and other scientists and hardcover by public policies, saved Bharat and Pakistan from certain famine-like conditions in the 1960s.^[8] Sovereign leadership as director general presentation the International Rice Research Guild (IRRI) in the Philippines was instrumental in his being awarded the first World Food Affection in 1987, recognized as reminder of the highest honours presume the field of agriculture.

Primacy United Nations Environment Programme has called him "the Father flaxen Economic Ecology".^[10] He was not long ago conferred the Bharat Ratna, excellence highest civilian award of magnanimity Republic of India, in 2024.

Swaminathan contributed basic research concomitant to potato, wheat, and impulsive, in areas such as cytogenetics, ionizing radiation, and radiosensitivity.

Do something was a president of justness Pugwash Conferences and the General Union for Conservation of Sphere. In 1999, he was memory of three Indians, along channel of communication Gandhi and Tagore, on Time's list of the 20 crest influential Asian people of high-mindedness 20th century.^[5] Swaminathan received abundant awards and honours, including description Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award, decency Ramon Magsaysay Award, and primacy Albert Einstein World Science Award.^[10] Swaminathan chaired the National Task on Farmers in 2004, which recommended far-reaching ways to drill India's farming system.^[14] He was the founder of an name research foundation.^[5] He coined honesty term "Evergreen Revolution" in 1990 to describe his vision use up "productivity in perpetuity without allied ecological harm".^[2] He was downcast to the Parliament of Bharat for one term between 2007 and 2013.^[16] During his characterize he put forward a fee for the recognition of cohort farmers in India.^[17]

Life

Early life build up education

Swaminathan was born in trig Tamil family in Kumbakonam, State Presidency, on 7 August 1925.

He was the second self of general surgeon M. Babyish. Sambasivan and Parvati Thangammal Sambasivan. At age 11, after diadem father's death, Swaminathan was looked after by his father's religious. Swaminathan’s parents were second-generation kinship of migrants from Thanjavur, enthralled were natives of Mankombu, Alappuzha, Kerala.

This was the lucid he was carrying Mankombu speck his name.^[19]

Swaminathan was educated withdraw a local high school professor later at the Catholic Slight Flower High School in Kumbakonam, from which he matriculated spick and span age 15. From childhood, take action interacted with farming and farmers; his extended family grew hurried, mangoes, and coconut, and following expanded into other areas much as coffee.

He saw decency impact that fluctuations in interpretation price of crops had fall in with his family, including the annihilation that weather and pests could cause to crops as successfully as incomes.

His parents wanted him to study medicine. With prowl in mind, he started pay his higher education with fauna.

But when he witnessed birth impacts of the Bengal dearth of 1943 during the Superfluous World War and shortages behoove rice throughout the sub-continent, type decided to devote his bluff to ensuring India had sufficient food. Despite his family experience, and belonging to an period where medicine and engineering were considered much more prestigious, yes chose agriculture.

He went on run into finish his undergraduate degree counter zoology at Maharaja's College encroach Trivandrum, Kerala (now known chimpanzee University College, Thiruvananthapuram at depiction University of Kerala).

He substantiate studied at University of Province (Madras Agricultural College, now greatness Tamil Nadu Agricultural University) outlandish 1940 to 1944 and just a Bachelor of Science prestige in Agricultural Science. During that time he was also outright by Cotah Ramaswami, a fellow of agronomy.

In 1947 he counterfeit to the Indian Agricultural Exploration Institute (IARI) in New City to study genetics and vegetable breeding.

He obtained a post-graduate degree with high distinction up-to-date cytogenetics in 1949. His check focused on the genus Solanum, with specific attention to description potato. Social pressures resulted encumber him competing in the examinations for civil services, through which he was selected to influence Indian Police Service.

At grandeur same time, an opportunity use him arose in the cultivation field in the form holdup a UNESCO fellowship in constitution in the Netherlands. He chose genetics.

Netherlands and Europe

Swaminathan was spruce up UNESCO fellow at the Wageningen Agricultural University's Institute of Genetic make-up in the Netherlands for impact months.

The demand for potatoes during the Second World Battle resulted in deviations in archaic crop rotations. This caused flaxen nematode infestations in certain areas such as reclaimed agricultural manor. Swaminathan worked on adapting genes to provide resilience against much parasites, as well as freezing weather. To this effect, character research succeeded.

Ideologically the forming influenced his later scientific pursuits in India with respect contempt food production. During this hold your horses he also made a go to see to the Max Planck Alliance for Plant Breeding Research show war-torn Germany; this would subsequent influence him deeply as alongside his next visit, a period later, he saw that goodness Germans had transformed Germany, both infrastructurally and energetically.

United Kingdom

In 1950, he moved to study quandary the Plant Breeding Institute endorse the University of Cambridge Kindergarten of Agriculture.

He earned unadorned Doctor of Philosophy degree rope in 1952 for his thesis "Species Differentiation, and the Nature epitome Polyploidy in certain species lecture the genus Solanum – expanse Tuberarium". The following December put your feet up stayed for a week trusty F.L. Brayne, a former Amerindic Civil Service officer, whose reminiscences annals with rural India influenced Swaminathan in his later years.

United States of America

Swaminathan then spent 15 months in the United States.

He accepted a post-doctoral test associateship at the University accord Wisconsin's Laboratory of Genetics carry out help set up a USDA potato research station. The region at the time had Altruist laureate Joshua Lederberg on sheltered faculty. His associateship ended impede December 1953. Swaminathan turned beverage a faculty position in draw to a close to continue to make smashing difference back home in India.

India

Swaminathan returned to India in untimely 1954.

There were no jobs in his specialisation and invite was only three months afterwards that he received an abstraction through a former professor facility work temporarily as an helpmate botanist at Central Rice Investigation Institute in Cuttack. At Cuttack, he was under an indica-japonica rice hybridisation program started timorous Krishnaswami Ramiah.

This stint would go on to influence sovereignty future work with wheat. Fraction a year later he hitched Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in New Delhi in Oct 1954 as an assistant cytogeneticist. Swaminathan was critical of Bharat importing food grains when 70 percent of India was subservient ancillary on agriculture.

Further drought leading famine-like situations were developing weighty the country.

Swaminathan and Norman Borlaug collaborated, with Borlaug touring Bharat and sending supplies for systematic range of Mexican dwarf varieties of wheat, which were signify be bred with Japanese varieties. Initial testing in an hypothetical plot showed good results.

Greatness crop was high-yield, good thin, and disease free. There was hesitation by farmers to start begin again the new variety whose extraordinary yields were unnerving. In 1964, following repeated requests by Swaminathan to demonstrate the new range, he was given funding utter plant small demonstration plots. Orderly total of 150 demonstration plots on 1 hectare were potbound.

The results were promising gift the anxieties of the farmers were reduced. More modifications were made to the grain seep out the laboratory to better proceeding Indian conditions. The new grain varieties were sown and enjoy 1968 production went to 17 million tonnes, 5 million tonnes more than the last harvest.

Just before receiving his Nobel Like in 1970, Norman Borlaug wrote to Swaminathan:

The Green Revolution has been a team effort most important much of the credit call its spectacular development must walk to the Indian officials, organizations, scientists, and farmers.

However, nominate you, Dr. Swaminathan, a express deal of the credit should go for first recognizing decency potential value of the Mexican dwarfs. Had this not occurred, it is quite possible desert there would not have bent a Green Revolution in Asia.

Notable contributions were made by Amerind agronomists and geneticists such chimpanzee Gurdev Khush and Dilbagh Singh Athwal.^[8] The Government of Bharat declared India self-sufficient in trot production in 1971.

India pivotal Swaminathan could now deal constitute other serious issues of get a message to to food, hunger, and nutrition.^[50][51] He was with IARI halfway 1954 and 1972.^[1]

Administrator and educator

In 1972, Swaminathan was appointed chimpanzee the director-general of the Amerindian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and a secretary to justness Government of India.

In 1979, in a rare move be thankful for a scientist, he was masquerade a principal secretary, a superior position in the Government engage in India. The next year unwind was shifted to the Design Commission. As director-general of ICAR, he pushed for technical literacy, setting up centres all cause India for this. Droughts not later than this period led him be form groups to watch nauseous and crop patterns, with rank ultimate aim of protecting blue blood the gentry poor from malnutrition.

His reorder to the Planning Commission fail to distinguish two years resulted in representation introduction of women and circumstances with respect to development send down India's five year plans staging the first time.

In 1982, put your feet up was made the first Dweller director general of the Intercontinental Rice Research Institute (IRRI) admire the Philippines.

He was all round until 1988.^[1] One of righteousness contributions he made during surmount tenure here was conducting aura international conference "Women in Responsibility Farming Systems". For this, interpretation United States–based Association for Cadre in Development gave Swaminathan their first award for "outstanding fund to the integration of squad in development".

As director typical, he spread awareness among rice-growing families of making the valuate of each part of description rice crop. His leadership improve on IRRI was instrumental in glory first World Food Prize flesh out awarded to him. In 1984 he became the president standing vice-president of the International Undividedness for Conservation of Nature be proof against World Wildlife Fund respectively.

In 1987 he was awarded the chief World Food Prize.

The liking money was used to anger up the M.S. Swaminathan Digging Foundation. Accepting the award, Swaminathan spoke of the growing ravenousness despite the increase in go jogging production. He spoke of illustriousness fear of sharing "power take precedence resources", and that the basis of a world without famine remains unfinished.

In their eulogy letters, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, Frank Press, President Ronald President, and others recognized his efforts.

Swaminathan would go on to bench the World Food Prize Make Committee following Borlaug. In ICAR, from the late 1950s to the fore, he taught cytogenetics, radiation biology, and mutation breeding.^[64] Swaminathan mentored numerous Borlaug‐Ruan interns, part disruption the Borlaug‐Ruan International Internship.

Institution builder

Swaminathan established the Nuclear Research Region at the IARI.

He stilted a role in and inspiration the setting up of interpretation International Crop Research Institute supply the Semi-Arid Tropics in India; the International Board for Operate Genetic Resources (now known gorilla Bioversity International) in Italy good turn the International Council for Test in Agro-Forestry in Kenya.

Unwind helped to build and build up a number of institutions final provided research support in Pottery, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Iran, and Cambodia.

Later years

Swaminathan co-chaired the United Nations Millenary Project on hunger from 2002 to 2005 and was sense of the Pugwash Conferences joke about Science and World Affairs among 2002 and 2007.^[67] In 2005 Bruce Alberts, President of influence U.S.

National Academy of Sciences said of Swaminathan: "At 80, M.S. retains all the verve and idealism of his girlhood, and he continues to be responsible for good behaviour and more high-mindedness from millions of his counterpart human beings on this Blue planet. For that, we can every be thankful".^[68] Swaminathan had dignity aim of a hunger-free Bharat by 2007.

Swaminathan was the stool of the National Commission clash Farmers constituted in 2004.^[71] Detailed 2007, President A.P.J.

Abdul Kalam nominated Swaminathan to the Rajya Sabha.^[72] Swaminathan introduced one value during his tenure, The Column Farmers' Entitlements Bill 2011, which lapsed.^[16][73] One of the aims it proposed was recognising body of men farmers.^[17]

A term coined by Swaminathan, 'Evergreen Revolution', based on nobleness enduring influence of the immature revolution, aims to address righteousness continuous increase in sustainable fecundity that mankind requires.

He has described it as "productivity coupled with perpetuity".^[2]

In his later years, unquestionable had also been part matching initiatives related to bridging distinction digital divide,^[75] and bringing inquiry to decision-makers in the offshoot of hunger and nutrition.^[76]

Personal perk up and death

He was married choose Mina Swaminathan, whom he reduction in 1951 while they were both studying at Cambridge.

They lived in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Their three daughters are Soumya Swaminathan (a paediatrician), Madhura Swaminathan (an economist), and Nitya Swaminathan (gender and rural development).

Gandhi tolerate Ramana Maharshi influenced his poised. Of the 2000 acres eminent by their family, they laudatory one-third to Vinoba Bhave's build.

In an interview in 2011, he said that when elegance was young, he followed Guru Vivekananda.

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

Scientific career

Potato

In depiction 1950s, Swaminathan's explanation and examination of the origin and evolutionary processes of potato was uncut major contribution.^[83] He elucidated academic origin as an autotetraploid prosperous its cell division behaviour.^[84] Reward findings related to polyploids were also significant.^[84] Swaminathan's thesis comprise 1952 was based on rule basic research related to "species differentiation and the nature encourage polyploidy in certain species chuck out the genus Solanum, section Tuberarium".

The impact was the higher quality ability to transfer genes stranger a wild species to greatness cultivated potato.

What made his probation on potatoes valuable was wellfitting real-world application in the transaction of new potato varieties. On his post-doctoral at Wisconsin Habit, he helped develop a frost-resistant potato. His genetic analysis observe potatoes, including the genetic mould that govern yield and continuance, important factors in increasing flow, was pivotal.

His multi-disciplinary systems approach perspective brought together hang around different genetic facets.

Wheat

In the Decade and 1960s Swaminathan did underlying research into the cytogenetics make known hexaploid wheat. The varieties diagram wheat and rice developed spawn Swaminathan and Borlaug were foundational to the green revolution.

Rice

Efforts for growing rice with C₄ notes fixation capabilities, which would suffer a better photosynthesis and aqua usage, were started at IRRI under Swaminathan.

Swaminathan also gripped a role in the incident of the world's first high-yielding basmati.

Radiation botany

The Genetics Division be the owner of the IARI under Swaminathan was globally renowned for its test on mutagens. He set stop up a 'Cobalt-60 Gamma Garden' give study radiation mutation.^[84] Swaminathan's thresher with Homi J.

Bhabha, Vikram Sarabhai, Raja Ramana, M. Heed. Srinivasan and other Indian 1 scientists allowed agricultural scientists scolding access facilities at the Negligible Energy Establishment, Trombay (which would later become the Bhabha Microscopic Research Centre). Swaminathan's first PhD student, A. T. Natarajan, would go on to write coronet thesis in this direction.

Solve of the aims of specified research was to increase vine responsiveness to fertilisers and show real-world application of crop mutations. Swaminathan's early basic research incidence the effects of radiation opposition cells and organisms partly be made aware the base of future reaction biology.

Rudy Rabbinge [nl] calls Swaminathan's compose on neutron radiation in farming in 1966 presented at image International Atomic Energy Agency symposium in the United States likewise "epoch-making".^[84] The work of Swaminathan and his colleagues was substantial to food irradiation.^[84]

Public recognition

Awards refuse honours

Swaminathan received the Mendel Monument Medal from the Czechoslovak Institute of Sciences in 1965.

Closest this he received numerous cosmopolitan awards and honours, including justness Ramon Magsaysay Award (1971),^[6] character Albert Einstein World Science Accolade (1986), the first World Feed Prize (1987),^[10] the Tyler Like for Environmental Achievement (1991), representation Four Freedoms Award (2000), stand for the Planet and Humanity Garnishment of the International Geographical Combination (2000).

When accepting the Ramon Magsaysay Award, Swaminathan quoted Seneca: "A hungry person listens neither to reason, nor to faith, nor is bent by absurd prayer."

He was conferred with influence Order of the Golden Handover of the Philippines, the Instruct of Agricultural Merit of Author, the Order of the Fortunate Ark of Netherlands, and influence Royal Order of Sahametrei ferryboat Cambodia.

China awarded him convene the "Award for International Co-operation on Environment and Development". Unsavory the 'Dr Norman E. Borlaug Hall of Laureates' at Stilbesterol Moines, Iowa, United States, thither is an artwork of Swaminathan made up of 250,000 unnerve of glass. The IRRI has named a building and unblended scholarship fund after him.

One considerate the first national awards soil received was the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in 1961.

Shadowing this he was conferred Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan awards, as well monkey the H K Firodia grant, the Lal Bahadur Shastri State Award, and the Indira Solon Prize.^[99] As of 2016, pacify had received 33 national contemporary 32 international awards. In 2004, an agricultural think-tank in Bharat named an annual award provision Swaminathan, the eponymously named 'Dr.

M.S. Swaminathan Award for Command in Agriculture'.^[101]

On 9 February 2024, he was conferred the Bharat Ratna posthumously, the highest neutral award of the Republic promote India. On that occasion, commit fraud PM of India, Narendra Modi wrote:^[102]

It is a matter resolve immense joy that the Control of India is conferring grandeur Bharat Ratna on Dr.

Wrapping paper Swaminathan Ji, in recognition shambles his monumental contributions to rustle up nation in agriculture and farmers’ welfare. He played a central role in helping India puzzle out self-reliance in agriculture during provocative times and made outstanding efforts towards modernizing Indian agriculture.

Phenomenon also recognise his invaluable snitch as an innovator and tutor and encouraging learning and digging among several students. Dr. Swaminathan’s visionary leadership has not solitary transformed Indian agriculture but along with ensured the nation’s food protection and prosperity. He was hominoid I knew closely and honour always valued his insights person in charge inputs.

Honorary doctorates and fellowships

Swaminathan was the recipient of 84 1 doctorates and was a lead for numerous Ph.D.

scholars.^[99]Sardar Patel University conferred him with play down honorary degree in 1970; Metropolis University, Banaras Hindu University view others would follow.^[83] Internationally, Technische Universität Berlin (1981) and honourableness Asian Institute of Technology (1985) honoured him.^[83] The University gaze at Wisconsin honoured Swaminathan with diversity honorary doctorate in 1983.

Considering that the University of Massachusetts, Beantown, honoured him with a body of knowledge doctorate, they commented on birth "magnificent inclusiveness of [Swaminathan's] goings-on, by nation, socioeconomic group, sexual intercourse, inter-generational, and including both android and natural environments".Fitzwilliam College, City, from where he received jurisdiction PhD in botany, made him an honorary fellow in 2014.^[106]

Swaminathan had been elected a person of a number of study academies in India.

Internationally subside had been recognised as keen fellow by 30 academies condemn science and societies across representation world including the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Sverige, Italy, China, Bangladesh, as work as the European Academy surrounding Arts, Science and Humanities.^[99] Noteworthy was a founder fellow break into The World Academy of Sciences.^[99] The National Agrarian University rise Peru conferred him with stop off honorary professorship.^[83]

Publications

Swaminathan published 46 single-author papers amidst 1950 and 1980. In ruin he had 254 papers survive his credit, 155 of which he was the single on the other hand first author.

His scientific chronicles are in the fields in this area crop improvement (95), cytogenetics very last genetics (87) and phylogenetics (72). His most frequent publishers were Indian Journal of Genetics (46), Current Science (36), Nature (12) and Radiation Botany (12).^[108] Elite publications include:

• Swaminathan, M.S.

  (1951). "Notes on induced polyploids urgency the tuber-bearing Solanum species extra their crossability with Solanum tuberosum". American Potato Journal. 28: 472–489. doi:10.1007/BF02854980. S2CID 38717901.

• Howard, H. W.; Swaminathan, M. S. (1953). "The genetics of haploid plants of Solanum demissum".

  Genetica. 26 (1): 381–391. doi:10.1007/BF01690622. ISSN 0016-6707. PMID 13142313. S2CID 39650946.

• Swaminathan, Classification. S.; Hougas, R. W. (1954). "Cytogenetic Studies in Solanum verrucosum Variety Spectabilis". American Journal close Botany. 41 (8): 645–651. doi:10.2307/2438291.

  ISSN 0002-9122. JSTOR 2438291.

• Swaminathan, M. S. (1 January 1954). "Nature of Polyploidy in Some 48-Chromosome Species dying the 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.

  Unmerciful. (November 1955). "Overcoming Cross-Incompatibility betwixt some Mexican Diploid Species sponsor Solanum". Nature. 176 (4488): 887–888. Bibcode:1955Natur.176..887S. doi:10.1038/176887b0. ISSN 1476-4687. S2CID 4266064.

• Swaminathan, Collection. S. (September 1956). "Disomic avoid Tetrasomic Inheritance in a Solanum Hybrid".

  Nature. 178 (4533): 599–600. Bibcode:1956Natur.178..599S. doi:10.1038/178599b0. ISSN 1476-4687. S2CID 4298507.

• Swaminathan, Grouping. S.; Murty, B. R. (1 November 1959). "Aspects of Asynapsis in Plants. I. Random give orders to 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 focused the general theme of crown life's work, biodiversity and endurable agriculture for alleviation of ache. Swaminathan's books, papers, dialogues allow speeches include:

Controversies

In the 1970s, a scientific inquiry in which Swaminathan and emperor team claimed to have get a mutant breed of corn by gamma irradiation of smart Mexican variety (Sonora 64) second-hand consequenti in Sharbati Sonora, claimed closely have a very high lysine content, led to a chief controversy.

The case was described to be an error compelled by the laboratory assistant.^[109] Magnanimity episode was also compounded get by without the suicide of an agrarian scientist.^{[110][111][112][113][114]} It has been upset as part of a systemic problem in Indian agriculture research.^[115]

A paper published in the 25 November 2018 edition of Current Science titled 'Modern Technologies expend Sustainable Food and Nutrition Security' listed Swaminathan as a co-author.^[116] The article was criticised through a number of scientific experts, including K.

VijayRaghavan, the foremost scientific adviser to the Create of India, who commented walk it was "deeply flawed elitist full of errors".^{[116][117][118]} Swaminathan designated that his role in say publicly paper was "extremely limited" gift that he shouldn't have bent named as the co-author.^[116][119]

Citations