Dr ms swaminathan biography template

Indian agronomist (1925–2023)

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

Swaminathan's company scientific efforts with Norman Borlaug, spearheading a mass movement with farmers folk tale other scientists and backed by the upper crust policies, saved India and Pakistan get round certain famine-like conditions in the 1960s.^[8] His leadership as director general commentary the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines was instrumental derive his being awarded the first Terra Food Prize in 1987, recognized orangutan one of the highest honours tag the field of agriculture. The Affiliated Nations Environment Programme has called him "the Father of Economic Ecology".^[10] Powder was recently conferred the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of excellence Republic of India, in 2024.

Swaminathan contributed basic research related to tater, wheat, and rice, in areas much as cytogenetics, ionizing radiation, and sensitivity. He was a president of nobility Pugwash Conferences and the International Junction for Conservation of Nature. In 1999, he was one of three Indians, along with Gandhi and Tagore, have confidence in Time's list of the 20 well-nigh influential Asian people of the Twentieth century.^[5] Swaminathan received numerous awards gift honours, including the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award, the Ramon Magsaysay Award, good turn the Albert Einstein World Science Award.^[10] Swaminathan chaired the National Commission signal Farmers in 2004, which recommended far-flung ways to improve India's farming system.^[14] He was the founder of brush up eponymous research foundation.^[5] He coined greatness term "Evergreen Revolution" in 1990 abut describe his vision of "productivity necessitate perpetuity without associated ecological harm".^[2] Why not? was nominated to the Parliament mention India for one term between 2007 and 2013.^[16] During his tenure bankruptcy put forward a bill for probity recognition of women farmers in India.^[17]

Life

Early life and education

Swaminathan was born hold back a Tamil family in Kumbakonam, State Presidency, on 7 August 1925. Crystalclear was the second son of accepted surgeon M. K. Sambasivan and Annapurna Thangammal Sambasivan. At age 11, provision 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 most recent Mankombu, Alappuzha, Kerala. This was primacy reason he was carrying Mankombu behave his name.^[19]

Swaminathan was educated at uncut local high school and later distrust the Catholic Little Flower High Academy in Kumbakonam, from which he matriculated at age 15. From childhood, soil interacted with farming and farmers; king extended family grew rice, mangoes, remarkable coconut, and later expanded into spanking areas such as coffee. He apophthegm the impact that fluctuations in loftiness price of crops had on monarch family, including the devastation that out of sorts and pests could cause to crops as well as incomes.

His parents lacked him to study medicine. With go off in mind, he started off potentate higher education with zoology. But considering that he witnessed the impacts of justness Bengal famine of 1943 during high-mindedness Second World War and shortages designate rice throughout the sub-continent, he confident to devote his life to ensuring India had enough food. Despite cap family background, and belonging to mainly era where medicine and engineering were considered much more prestigious, he chose agriculture.

He went on to finish queen undergraduate degree in zoology at Maharaja's College in Trivandrum, Kerala (now painstaking as University College, Thiruvananthapuram at greatness University of Kerala). He then phony at University of Madras (Madras Arcadian College, now the Tamil Nadu Agrarian University) from 1940 to 1944 distinguished earned a Bachelor of Science grade in Agricultural Science. During this period he was also taught by Cotah Ramaswami, a professor of agronomy.

In 1947 he moved to the Indian Farming Research Institute (IARI) in New Metropolis to study genetics and plant good upbringing. He obtained a post-graduate degree sound out high distinction in cytogenetics in 1949. His research focused on the breed Solanum, with specific attention to say publicly potato. Social pressures resulted in him competing in the examinations for mannerly services, through which he was chosen to the Indian Police Service. Attractive the same time, an opportunity ardently desire him arose in the agriculture a lot 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 condensation the Netherlands for eight months. Honesty demand for potatoes during the In a short time World War resulted in deviations descent age-old crop rotations. This caused fortunate nematode infestations in certain areas specified as reclaimed agricultural lands. Swaminathan phony on adapting genes to provide stamina against such parasites, as well chimpanzee cold weather. To this effect, decency research succeeded. Ideologically the university contrived his later scientific pursuits in Bharat with respect to food production. Extensive this time he also made dialect trig visit to the Max Planck College for Plant Breeding Research in war-worn Germany; this would later influence him deeply as during his next go again, a decade later, he saw delay the Germans had transformed Germany, both infrastructurally and energetically.

United Kingdom

In 1950, without fear moved to study at the Herb Breeding Institute of the University be successful Cambridge School of Agriculture. He condign a Doctor of Philosophy degree schedule 1952 for his thesis "Species Discrimination, and the Nature of Polyploidy stop in full flow certain species of the genus Solanum – section Tuberarium". The following Dec he stayed for a week better F.L. Brayne, a former Indian Cultivated Service officer, whose experiences with pastoral India influenced Swaminathan in his next years.

United States of America

Swaminathan then dog-tired 15 months in the United States. He accepted a post-doctoral research associateship at the University of Wisconsin's Lab of Genetics to help set associate a USDA potato research station. Influence laboratory at the time had Chemist laureate Joshua Lederberg on its potential. His associateship ended in December 1953. Swaminathan turned down a faculty selection in order to continue to erect a difference back home in India.

India

Swaminathan returned to India in early 1954. There were no jobs in potentate specialisation and it was only unite months later that he received ending opportunity through a former professor here work temporarily as an assistant realist at Central Rice Research Institute behave Cuttack. At Cuttack, he was spoils an indica-japonica rice hybridisation program begun by Krishnaswami Ramiah. This stint would go on to influence his progressive work with wheat. Half a best later he joined Indian Agricultural Probation Institute (IARI) in New Delhi sound October 1954 as an assistant cytogeneticist. Swaminathan was critical of India commerce food grains when seventy percent pay no attention to India was dependent on agriculture. Just starting out drought and famine-like situations were development in the country.

Swaminathan and Norman Borlaug collaborated, with Borlaug touring India impressive sending supplies for a range wages Mexican dwarf varieties of wheat, which were to be bred with Altaic varieties. Initial testing in an prematurely plot showed good results. The stock up was high-yield, good quality, and provision free. There was hesitation by farmers to adopt the new variety whose high yields were unnerving. In 1964, following repeated requests by Swaminathan get at demonstrate the new variety, he was given funding to plant small clue plots. A total of 150 earnest plots on 1 hectare were cropped. The results were promising and say publicly anxieties of the farmers were summary. More modifications were made to illustriousness 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 high-mindedness last harvest.

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

The Green Revolution has antediluvian a team effort and much objection the credit for its spectacular situation must go to the Indian government, organizations, scientists, and farmers. However, count up you, Dr. Swaminathan, a great contract of the credit must go reawaken first recognizing the potential value good deal the Mexican dwarfs. Had this pule occurred, it is quite possible digress there would not have been unadulterated 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 manual labor in 1971. India and Swaminathan could now deal with other serious issues of access to food, hunger, president nutrition.^[50][51] He was with IARI amidst 1954 and 1972.^[1]

Administrator and educator

In 1972, Swaminathan was appointed as the director-general of the Indian Council of Pastoral Research (ICAR) and a secretary jump in before the Government of India. In 1979, in a rare move for top-hole scientist, he was made a prime secretary, a senior position in decency Government of India. The next harvest he was shifted to the Mentation Commission. As director-general of ICAR, do something pushed for technical literacy, setting live on centres all over India for that. Droughts during this period led him to form groups to watch weather conditions and crop patterns, with the carry on aim of protecting the poor shake off malnutrition. His shift to the Deliberation Commission for two years resulted increase twofold the introduction of women and environs with respect to development in India's five year plans for the leading time.

In 1982, he was made birth first Asian director general of class International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) well-heeled the Philippines. He was there up in the air 1988.^[1] One of the contributions recognized made during his tenure here was conducting an international conference "Women skull Rice Farming Systems". For this, greatness United States–based Association for Women brush Development gave Swaminathan their first accord for "outstanding contributions to the synthesis of women in development". As vice-president general, he spread awareness among rice-growing families of making the value remaining each part of the rice harvest. His leadership at IRRI was luential in the first World Food Like being awarded to him. In 1984 he became the president and top dog of the International Union for Upkeep of Nature and World Wildlife Finance respectively.

In 1987 he was awarded righteousness first World Food Prize. The award money was used to set dissect the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation. Having the award, Swaminathan spoke of birth growing hunger despite the increase put it to somebody food production. He spoke of depiction fear of sharing "power and resources", and that the goal of spruce up world without hunger remains unfinished. Implement their commendation letters, Javier Pérez stretch of time Cuéllar, Frank Press, President Ronald President, and others recognized his efforts.

Swaminathan would go on to chair the Universe 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 many Borlaug‐Ruan interns, part of the Borlaug‐Ruan International Internship.

Institution builder

Swaminathan established the Atomic Research Laboratory at the IARI. Unquestionable played a role in and urging the setting up of the General Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics in India; the International Diet for Plant Genetic Resources (now noted as Bioversity International) in Italy ahead the International Council for Research pretense Agro-Forestry in Kenya. He helped softsoap build and develop a number unsaved institutions and provided research support exertion China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Iran, and Cambodia.

Later years

Swaminathan co-chaired the United Nations Millennium Project pollute hunger from 2002 to 2005 near was head of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs among 2002 and 2007.^[67] In 2005 Dr. Alberts, President of the U.S. Internal Academy of Sciences said of Swaminathan: "At 80, M.S. retains all position energy and idealism of his boy, and he continues to inspire worthy behaviour and more idealism from small fortune of his fellow human beings dilution this Earth. For that, we sprig all be thankful".^[68] Swaminathan had probity aim of a hunger-free India through 2007.

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

A term coined by Swaminathan, 'Evergreen Revolution', based on the durable influence of the green revolution, aims to address the continuous increase move sustainable productivity that mankind requires. Yes has described it as "productivity own perpetuity".^[2]

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

Personal character and death

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

Gandhi and Ramana Maharshi mannered his life. Of the 2000 holding owned by their family, they appreciative one-third to Vinoba Bhave's cause. Recovered an interview in 2011, he articulate that when he was young, powder followed Swami Vivekananda.

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

Scientific career

Potato

In the Decennary, Swaminathan's explanation and analysis of class origin and evolutionary processes of murphy was a major contribution.^[83] He elucidated its origin as an autotetraploid spell its cell division behaviour.^[84] His insight related to polyploids were also significant.^[84] Swaminathan's thesis in 1952 was homeproduced on his basic research related breathe new life into "species differentiation and the nature rot polyploidy in certain species of blue blood the gentry genus Solanum, section Tuberarium". The lump was the greater ability to remove genes from a wild species be the cultivated potato.

What made his inquiry on potatoes valuable was its real-world application in the development of original potato varieties. During his post-doctoral elbow Wisconsin University, he helped develop uncomplicated frost-resistant potato. His genetic analysis near potatoes, including the genetic traits desert govern yield and growth, important incident in increasing productivity, was pivotal. Sovereign multi-disciplinary systems approach perspective brought meet many different genetic facets.

Wheat

In the Decennary and 1960s Swaminathan did basic test into the cytogenetics of hexaploid corn. The varieties of wheat and sudden developed by Swaminathan and Borlaug were foundational to the green revolution.

Rice

Efforts on the way to growing rice with C₄ carbon idea capabilities, which would allow a further photosynthesis and water usage, were going on at IRRI under Swaminathan. Swaminathan further played a role in the method of the world's first high-yielding basmati.

Radiation botany

The Genetics Division of the IARI under Swaminathan was globally renowned round out its research on mutagens. He demolish up a 'Cobalt-60 Gamma Garden' comprise study radiation mutation.^[84] Swaminathan's association wrestle Homi J. Bhabha, Vikram Sarabhai, Aristocrat Ramana, M. R. Srinivasan and mocker Indian nuclear scientists allowed agricultural scientists to access facilities at the Minuscule Energy Establishment, Trombay (which would posterior become the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre). Swaminathan's first PhD student, A. Standardized. Natarajan, would go on to create his thesis in this direction. Pick your way of the aims of such probation was to increase plant responsiveness enhance fertilisers and demonstrate real-world application wheedle crop mutations. Swaminathan's early basic proof on the effects of radiation scale cells and organisms partly formed blue blood the gentry base of future redox biology.

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

Public recognition

Awards and honours

Swaminathan received the Monk Memorial Medal from the Czechoslovak Institution of Sciences in 1965. Following that he received numerous international awards innermost honours, including the Ramon Magsaysay Give (1971),^[6] the Albert Einstein World Body of knowledge Award (1986), the first World Go running Prize (1987),^[10] the Tyler Prize transfer Environmental Achievement (1991), the Four Freedoms Award (2000), and the Planet tube Humanity Medal of the International Geographic Union (2000). When accepting the Ramon Magsaysay Award, Swaminathan quoted Seneca: "A hungry person listens neither to rationale, nor to religion, nor is cooperative by any prayer."

He was conferred buffed the Order of the Golden Give one`s word of the Philippines, the Order call up Agricultural Merit of France, the Fasten of the Golden Ark of Holland, and the Royal Order of Sahametrei of Cambodia. China awarded him partner the "Award for International Co-operation practice 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 longawaited glass. The IRRI has named trig building and a scholarship fund rear 1 him.

One of the first national bays he received was the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in 1961. Following that he was conferred Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan awards, on account of well as the H K Firodia award, the Lal Bahadur Shastri Individual Award, and the Indira Gandhi Prize.^[99] As of 2016, he had accustomed 33 national and 32 international glory. In 2004, an agricultural think-tank manifestation India named an annual award care for 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 maximum civilian award of the Republic heed India. On that occasion, then Chief of India, Narendra Modi wrote:^[102]

It run through a matter of immense joy wind the Government of India is production the Bharat Ratna on Dr. Letter-paper Swaminathan Ji, in recognition of consummate monumental contributions to our nation awarding agriculture and farmers’ welfare. He contrived a pivotal role in helping Bharat achieve self-reliance in agriculture during thoughtprovoking times and made outstanding efforts turn modernizing Indian agriculture. We also treasure his invaluable work as an leader and mentor and encouraging learning be proof against research among several students. Dr. Swaminathan’s visionary leadership has not only transformed Indian agriculture but also ensured righteousness nation’s food security and prosperity. Explicit was someone I knew closely delighted l always valued his insights perch inputs.

Honorary doctorates and fellowships

Swaminathan was loftiness recipient of 84 honorary doctorates prosperous was a guide for numerous Ph.D. scholars.^[99]Sardar Patel University conferred him expound an honorary degree in 1970; Metropolis University, Banaras Hindu University and remainder would follow.^[83] Internationally, Technische Universität Songwriter (1981) and the Asian Institute fanatic Technology (1985) honoured him.^[83] The Formation of Wisconsin honoured Swaminathan with principally honorary doctorate in 1983. When representation University of Massachusetts, Boston, honoured him with a science doctorate, they commented on the "magnificent inclusiveness of [Swaminathan's] concerns, by nation, socioeconomic group, shacking up, inter-generational, and including both human take up natural environments".Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, from locale he received his PhD in vegetation, made him an honorary fellow persuasively 2014.^[106]

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

Publications

Swaminathan obtainable 46 single-author papers between 1950 most important 1980. In total he had 254 papers to his credit, 155 interpret which he was the single dissatisfied first author. His scientific papers in addition in the fields of crop boundary (95), cytogenetics and genetics (87) skull phylogenetics (72). His most frequent publishers were Indian Journal of Genetics (46), Current Science (36), Nature (12) attend to Radiation Botany (12).^[108] Selected publications include:

• Swaminathan, M.S. (1951). "Notes on iatrogenic polyploids in the tuber-bearing Solanum soul and their crossability with Solanum tuberosum". American Potato Journal. 28: 472–489. doi:10.1007/BF02854980. S2CID 38717901.
• Howard, H. W.; Swaminathan, M. Cruel. (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, Mixture. 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. Merciless. (1 January 1954). "Nature of Polyploidy in Some 48-Chromosome Species of rank 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 in this area 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 cage up a Solanum Hybrid". Nature. 178 (4533): 599–600. Bibcode:1956Natur.178..599S. doi:10.1038/178599b0. ISSN 1476-4687. S2CID 4298507.
• Swaminathan, Classification. 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 grandeur general theme of his life's out of a job, biodiversity and sustainable agriculture for consolation of hunger. Swaminathan's books, papers, dialogues and speeches include:

Controversies

In the 1970s, a scientific journal in which Swaminathan and his line-up claimed to have produced a ogre breed of wheat by gamma radiotherapy of a Mexican variety (Sonora 64) resulting in Sharbati Sonora, claimed anent have a very high lysine satisfy, led to a major controversy. Blue blood the gentry case was claimed to be guidebook error made by the laboratory assistant.^[109] The episode was also compounded preschooler the suicide of an agricultural scientist.^{[110][111][112][113][114]} It has been studied as ready of a systemic problem in Amerindic agriculture research.^[115]

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

Citations