Birth Centenary of Dr MS Swaminathan (7 August 2025): Father of the Green Revolution

 

7 August 2025 marks the birth centenary of Dr. Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan - popularly referred to as MS Swaminathan – an agriculture scientist of international eminence, who is befittingly referred to as the father of the Green Revolution in India. His exemplary works were marked by his unwavering commitment to addressing and solving the ‘ship to mouth’ existential challenges of the Independent India which was suffering from hunger and poverty. Unfortunately, Dr Swaminathan passed away in his native town, Chennai, on 28 September 2023, less than two years shy of his birth centenary. Dr Swaminathan lived a complete life dedicated to helping the nation, more particularly the farming and agriculture community. It is therefore no wonder that while paying tribute to Swaminathan on his demise, the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, called him the “Kisan Vigyanik”, a farmer scientist.

 To understand the impact of the contributions of Dr. Swaminathan, it is pertinent to look at the lives lost due to starvation in the 1943 Bengal famine. An estimated 3 million people lost their lives during the infamous Bengal famine, which is attributed to the insensitivity of Winston Churchill, his policy and his administration. Things were no different in the 18^th and 19th centuries either, when we were under the colonial rule. In the famine that struck South India in 1877 millions of lives were lost. Records reveal that in the districts of Bellary, Kurnool, and Cuddapah, the loss of lives from this famine - in one year - was reported to be between 21 to 27 percent of the population of these districts. This was also true for other districts in the South. At the end of 1876, according to British maintained records, Salem District had a population of 2,129,850 people. In a report that highlighted the impact of the 1877 famine, it says “On the 14th of March, 1878, the population of the district of Salem was reduced to 1,559,876”. More than one-fourth of the people – nearly six lac people - perished due to the 1877 famine. A similar number of loss of lives were reported from the districts of Mysore.

There are records that suggest that famine struck India from almost the beginning of British colonial rule. In 1770, over one million people died of starvation in Bengal, just 13 years after Robert Clive’s seizure of the region, following the Battle of Plassey. India witnessed famines at regular intervals thereafter and the most devastating ones were in 1783-84, 1791-92, 1837-38, 1860-61, 1876-78, 1896-97, and 1899-1900. Over 30 million Indians are estimated to have died during famines from the late-1700s to the mid-1900s. Add to this another 3 million people who perished during the 1943 Bengal famine. It is in this context that the scientific agricultural research works and contributions of Dr MS Swaminathan stand out. Of course, he was duly supported by the political class and also received administrative support in alleviating hunger and poverty and deaths from this inhuman situation. It is heartening to note that post our independence, notwithstanding the increase in our population, courtesy the contributions of scientists like Dr. Swaminathan and others who ushered in the Green Revolution in India, India has not faced any loss of lives even when we have faced deficit rainfalls and draughts. The Green Revolution changed Indian agriculture for good, transforming India from being a country with a begging bowl – Ship to Mouth existence under schemes like PL 480- to a net food exporter nation. And for this, we need to credit Dr M S Swaminathan - and all those who helped him - the man whose singular mission, to rid the nation of its hunger, helped India in reaching this stage.

The colossal loss of lives during the 1943 Bengal famine, just four years before we attained our Independence, and the past experience of India losing millions of lives due to famine, had created a sense of despair and frustration among some nay-sayers whether India would be able to survive independently, once the British leave the country. The first and major challenge before the nation would be to aim to achieve a balance between the human population and the production of food grains and other agricultural commodities, which could feed them. In order to alleviate hunger, India, post its independence, had to rely heavily on food aid to meet its population’s nutritional needs. Leading the food aid to India was the United States. The Public Law 480 (famously known as PL 480) scheme, commonly known as “Food for Peace,” marked a pivotal chapter in India’s history. This American initiative, established in 1954, aimed to provide food aid to countries in need, with India being a significant beneficiary of the PL 480. The import of wheat from the USA under the PL 480 scheme played a crucial role in shaping India’s food security, agricultural policies, and economic growth. India relied heavily on this scheme under which ship loads of excess wheat from US were exported by ship to India and this period was referred to as a period of ship to mouth existence. During this period, India was at the mercy of US for feeding a hungry nation, post our tryst with destiny. 

In just two decades after independence, by 1968, with efforts and leadership of Dr Swaminathan, the mood of the nation from despair and diffident gave way to one of optimism and self confidence in relation to our agricultural potential. The efforts of Swaminathan proved our farmers ability to adapt and adopt new technologies, a phenomenon, which was christened in that year as Green Revolution'. This agricultural transformation brought about courtesy Swaminathan, helped India to strengthen its national sovereignty in many areas, including the capacity to remain nonaligned in our foreign policy. 

Dr MS Swaminathan led the mission towards attaining the Green Revolution and in this mission, he was admirably supported by the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Norman Borlaug, Union Agriculture Minister, C Subramaniam and other agriculture scientists. The unsung heroes of our Green Revolution were the Indian farmers, who listened and believed in the counsel of Indian scientists like Dr Swaminathan to paved the way for the Green Revolution, which transformed independent India. One of the most significant achievements of Dr. Swaminathan was the development of high-yielding dwarf variety wheat and rice crops that played a crucial role in increasing food production in India during the 1960s and 70s. 

The importance of the green revolution that India attained in the late sixties and seventies for nations sovereignty can be seen in one of the interviews of Dr Swaminathan. He said “Smt. Indira Gandhi was very supportive of the Indian agriculture initiatives so that she could let go of the PL 480 monkey on her back. Under Indira Gandhi’s leadership, India shifted its focus from heavy dependence on PL 480 food aid from US to a more self-reliant approach in agriculture. The successful achievement of the Green Revolution was instrumental in empowering India to become a more self-sufficient food producer and reducing its reliance on external assistance.

Interestingly, it was Swaminathan who knew that the dramatic increase in food production as a result of what was called the green revolution would most likely tempt farmers and others to exploit the benefits of modern agricultural practices and transform the much-appreciated green revolution in to a Greed Revolution, that would harm agriculture irreversibly. Swaminathan advocated a practice which would help the green revolution becoming an ever-green revolution with sustainable development in agriculture.

 Dr. Swaminathan’s dedication to agriculture extended beyond just increasing yields. He emphasized the importance of sustainable and environmentally friendly farming practices. His concept of “evergreen revolution” focused on ensuring that agricultural growth was not achieved at the expense of the environment but rather in harmony with it. Throughout his career, he worked tirelessly to promote agricultural research and development, advocating for the needs of small and marginalized farmers. Beyond his scientific achievements, Dr. Swaminathan was a strong advocate for social justice and rural development. He recognized that improving the condition of farmers was essential for the overall development of India. His work extended to areas such as land reforms, rural education, and women’s empowerment, all of which were integral to his vision of a prosperous and equitable society.  MS Swaminathan was a strong advocate for sustainability in agriculture, recognizing its crucial role in addressing contemporary challenges. He and the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) have made significant contributions to advancing sustainable agriculture.

Dr. MS Swaminathan’s legacy goes beyond the numerous awards and honours he received, which include Indias highest civilian honours, the Bharat Ratna, which he received posthumously in 2024. He was also the recipient of the first World Food Prize Award, Albert Einstein World Science Award, Krishi Ratna award dedicated to the cause of agricultural sciences. Born on August, 7, 1925, in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, Swaminathan’s work laid the foundation for modern agricultural practices in India and inspired countless scientists, policymakers, and farmers to continue the quest for food security and sustainability. His passion for agriculture and his deep empathy for the farming community made him a revered figure in India and an inspiration to people around the world. As we remember Dr. MS Swaminathan, we acknowledge the indelible mark he has left on the world. His legacy will continue to guide us as we navigate the challenges of feeding a growing global population while safeguarding our environment.

Dr. Swaminathan’s life serves as a testament to the power of science, compassion, and dedication in shaping a better future for all. Today, as we celebrate the birth centenary of the legendary MS Swaminathan, let us hope and pray that his contributions to agriculture and humanity be celebrated and remembered for generations to come and may he continue to inspire millions of young Indians to contribute to nation-building.