DR.M S SWAMINATHAN

                                             

 M S Swaminathan  in conversation with Nitya Rao ; Published by Academic Foundation; Pages 227 ; Price Rs.895/-

                                      *********************************

Ms. Nitya Rao—the Editor of the book under review-- is the youngest daughter of  M S Swaminathan. She is  Professor, Gender and Development, at the School of International Development, University of East Anglia and  has close to 30 years experience as a field-level practitioner, trainer, researcher and teacher. She has  been researching issues of migration, intra-household resource allocations, nutrition, adaptation to climate risks and unpacking the processes of feminist mobilization..She is the author of the book  "Good Women Do Not Inherit Land: Politics of Land and Gender in India".

M  S Swaminathan (born on 7 August 1925) is an Indian geneticist  and international administrator, famous  for his significant  role in India's  “Green Revolution” --a program under which high-yield varieties of wheat and rice seedlings were planted in the fields of poor farmers. He is rightly  known as "Indian Father of Green Revolution". He is the founder and chairman of the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation. His declared aim is to rid the world of hunger and poverty. He is an advocate of leading  India to sustainable development, especially depending on environmentally sustainable agriculture, sustainable food security and the preservation of biodiversity, which he calls an "Evergreen revolution”.

 He was Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and  Director General of the International Rice Research Institute. He became President of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

On the occasion of the presentation of the First “World Food Prize” to Swaminathan, Javier Perez de Cuellar, Secretary General of the United Nations, wrote: "Dr. Swaminathan is a living legend. His contributions to Agricultural Science have made an indelible mark on food production in India and elsewhere in the developing world. By any standards, he will go into the annals of history as a world scientist of rare distinction." He  has been described by the United Nations Environment Programme as "the Father of Economic Ecology." .

Almost every country in the world has given him its highest honours. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of London and subsequently by the United States, Russian, Chinese and Italian Academy of Sciences. He has annexed scores of awards. He is the first recipient of the World Food Prize—US $ 200,000 with which he established the M.S.Swaminathan Research Foundation in Chennai. All amounts received as Prizes have been donated by him for Charities and for Research. While he has got all the three Padma Awards the Bharat Ratna has eluded him. Gopalakrishna Gandhi wrote ,”Often a Prophet is not recognized in his own country.”He was one of three from India included in  Time  magazine's 1999 list of the "20 most influential Asian people of the 20th century," the other two being Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore.

  The book under review is in two parts, not exactly sequential. The first part with 12 chapters is the  life story  of  Swaminathan, and his ambition in ensuring  human dignity through food sovereignty. We have an inkling to Swaminathan’s variegated experiences. The second part with 7 chapters deals with  implications of that story. He reflects on how politics has influenced and shaped the course of agricultural development; and how different ethical stances, often in conflict, have come into play.

  Nitya Rao writes lovingly of her parents—this is worth quoting in full--“ Despite their divergent interests and trajectories, there has always been a strong sense of partnership and mutual support, of shared values and philosophies, emerging from a desire to serve the country, especially the disadvantaged. Their lives have been truly complementary. In our home, Amma was discipline incarnate, but also full of creativity, play and adventure, while Appa’s worst scolding took the form of telling us that we wouldn’t be given chocolates if we were naughty! Despite his busy schedule, in our childhood, he always made time for our Sunday ‘oil-baths’ and ‘made-up, bed-time’ stories, as well as the full-day picnics organised by Amma. His gentle personality and trusting nature extended beyond the home; when troubled by conflict and wrongdoing, he found it difficult to handle directly. Yet we three sisters were never directed on what we should do, but given every freedom to grow and pursue our own interests, which we have done, each in our own way. They encouraged my interest in rural development... my career has moved in a direction that combines their diverse interests: gender relations and rural development. I really wanted to know what drove them, relentlessly, for the last 25 years, despite adversities and problems.

My seeking answers to these questions led to the idea of this book. This short book therefore focuses primarily on the ideas and efforts of M S Swaminathan, bringing together insights on the human values and ethical principles that have been essential for realising his dream - that of securing human dignity through food sovereignty and security in India. The book documents how personal and professional lessons were learned and imbibed through life’s diverse experiences…the combination of intellectual capacity with social commitment and non-negotiable moral standards is a mark of leadership par excellence, rarely matched in the country in recent decades."

In his work, his wife, Mina Swaminathan, has been a firm partner and collaborator at every stage. This book highlights the underlying philosophy of M S. The ability to identify a problem, analyse its causes and find solutions, through critical and creative thinking, has been a hallmark of Swaminathan’s life. One of his favourite terms ‘malady-remedy’ analysis, draws its roots from medicine and his father, from whom he learned this lesson early in life.

Written In the form of short anecdotes and stories, drawn from different periods of his life, the book  demonstrates the clarity of goals, vision and purpose, the continuity and strength of his convictions. The book highlights his immense respect for people of all social groups and a recognition that no one is too small to contribute to the collective production of knowledge.

 This is an unusual  book that goes  beyond Swaminathan’s spectacular contributions to agricultural research, including, for example, the development of public policy to recognize the contributions of tribal and rural communities to conservation of agro-biodiversity. Swaminathan’s life has been accurately summed by Nitya Rao—“Swaminathan is indifferent to praise or criticism, he has a definite purpose, a clear direction, a strong ethical stance in favour of equity and justice, as a voice for farmers, men and women, often unseen and unheard. This seems to be the essential philosophy of his life and work”.

P.P.Ramachandran.

12/ 11/ 2017.

****************************************************************************************

Tit-Bits

In his last speech in Rajya Sabha ,Swaminathan quoted a memorable incident, worth  recalling.

“As a biologist, I wish to cite an outstanding example of democracy at the household level. Charles Darwin is well-known for his path-breaking work in elucidating the origin of the species, including ourselves, through evolution. Darwin’s wife, was a staunch Catholic and the theory of evolution was considered blasphemy by Catholics and several other religious groups of that time, She was once asked how she managed to live peacefully with Charles, considering that his theory of evolution was unacceptable to her, She replied that Charles lives by reason and she by faith. What leads to faith is feeling and not reasoning ; so they agreed to disagree and lived happily together.”

PPR.

12 / 11 / 2017