Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan was born in Kumbakonam (Tamil Nadu)on August 7, 1925 and died at the age of 98 on 28th September, 2023in Chennai. The impact of science only become evident when it is implemented in the public domain and in this context Swaminathan was unparalleled. In the fifties he was convinced that he had a role to play in the strengthening of the scientific insights and achievements in practical activities. His skills in genetics and genomics were immediately applicable in the tuning and focusing of plant breeding to alleviate the hunger in developing countries. In potato research, he used these skills extensively which resulted in the first steps in production of hybrids in potato.
His decision to go back to India early in the fifties after a scientific programme in Wageningen University and a Ph. D from Cambridge University and a post doc position in Wisconsin was based on the conviction that he had to contribute to agricultural development in India. Food security for the rapid growing Indian population was the aim. This required appropriate research, but evenmore importantly, the right policy to get scientific insights adopted and used in various interventions. This paved the way for the green revolution in rice and wheat in India. The short straw varieties developed by Norman Borlaug were immediately used in programmes in India under the leadership of Swaminathan.
He was instrumental in the development of new varieties and their implementation making use of the appropriate agronomic measures. In his role at that time as leader of the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), Swaminathan was responsible for the adoption and promotion of new technologies. He took crucial decision to have demonstration fields with the mainstream farmers. The adoption of new varieties and technologies with the support of the government policy was successful due to this decision. The basis of appropriate public policy was crucial for the rapid adoption of new technologies and varieties and maintaining the momentum. The role of Swaminathan was pivotal in this process. His role in International Rice Research Institute was strengthening the scientific activities, initiating new partnerships and importantly, building up critical mass in agricultural research in general and more specifically in rice research.
In 1990, when Swaminathan chaired the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), he was invited by the President of Guyana to be the interim chair of the Iwokerma International Rainforest Programme. This initiative was basically a 360,000-hectare rainforest patch that was made available to the Commonwealth to show how tropical forests could be conserved and at the same time used sustainably for business activities that help local communities.
Father of India’s Green Revolution, Swaminathan had supported a people’s movement against the proposed hydroelectric project at Silent Valley in the Western Ghats of Kerala and had played an important role in convincing Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to scrap the project and instead build a rainforest biosphere reserve. The pristine rainforest is a hub of biodiversity, harbouring numerous rare species of birds, animals, and hundreds of flowering species.He was also able to impress upon the then Odisha Chief Minister Biju Patnaik not to disturb the unique nesting and breeding grounds of the Olive Ridley turtles at Bhitarkanika.
The political compulsion notwithstanding, Swaminathan understood the importance of preserving the place as a natural heritage site. In fact, he was much ahead of the thinking that is now being mainstreamed, to ascribe an economic value to the ecosystem services that nature provides.The Keystone Dialogues that he steered included mangrove protection, the role of local communities to conserve sacred groves, the need to ensure people’s control over genetic resources, the protection of the enormous biodiversity wealth, and the conservation of unique natural endowments. That, in a way, backed the idea of ensuring farmers’ rights, which eventually received global recognition.
Swaminathan’s slogans, pro-poor, pro-environment, pro-women, and his plea for an evergreen revolution are stimulating. The power of his one-liners is very strong and very instrumental as they are based on idealism, conviction and internalized and honest opinions. During his life time he was active in all domains that complement sustainable development: food security, water use and saving, natural resource conservation and management, maintaining biodiversity and finally energy.
His role in the public domain and in public policy was always oriented towards harmony, mutual respect and on that basis a very clear and aim orientation. He exemplifies the crucial role leading scientists may play in society and in public policy. He was outspoken, but never with disrespect and therefore completely respected and accepted. His leadership in organizations such as IRRI, IUCN, Pugwash, FAO, HLPE, CFS and many others shows his global orientation, but he never forgot his crucial role in India where he played a pivotal role in Agricultural Sciences, Policy and as a society leader.
The future generations will remember this great scientist not only for his scientific contributions but also for his concerns regarding day to day problems of a common man.
(Dr. Aijaz Hassan Ganie, Department of Botany, University of Kashmir North Campus)
