Fields of Gold: How One Scientist Changed India's Destiny

India, once a nation dependent on food imports and described as a "basket case," today stands tall as a food surplus country -- for which the contribution of one man -- Dr MS Swaminathan  -- has been immense. This year the country celebrates the birth centenary of Dr Swaminathan - born August 7, 1925 --  the architect of India's Green Revolution. On the occasion, NDTV spoke with leading voices to reflect on the transformation of India's food security landscape. 

Long queues at ration shops of yesteryears have given way today Indians queuing at food courts -- starvation to food surplus is an astronomical success of India's agricultural development as India has become the most populous nation of the world. 

Some even suggest that India's spectacular space technology successes of Chandrayaan, and Mangalyaan are all catalysed because of the food security that the country has achieved and today the country urgently needs a 'Krishiyaan' or an evergreen revolution in sustainable paddy, wheat, pulses and oilseeds revolution.

Standing on the very ground where Dr. Swaminathan once worked, Dr AK Singh, a leading rice scientist and former director of Indian Agricultural Research Institute, recounted the dire conditions of the 1950s and 60s.

"India was living from ship to mouth," he said. "We were importing 5 to 7 million tonnes of wheat annually to meet domestic needs," he said. 

That changed dramatically when Dr Swaminathan, in collaboration with Dr. Norman Borlaug of International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre, Mexico, introduced dwarf, high-yielding Mexican wheat varieties to India. 

These varieties were quickly adopted by Indian farmers and breeders, and in 1968, wheat production jumped from 12 million tons to 17 million tons, exactly the amount India had been importing.

India's union minister for agriculture and farmers welfare Mr Shivraj Singh Chouhan said: "Indian agriculture has gone from stagnation and food insecurity before the 1960s to large surpluses today, disproving the Malthusian belief that population growth would outstrip food production. In 1967, William and Paul Paddock predicted a famine in India, claiming it couldn't feed its growing population and controversially argued against food aid, fearing it would worsen future starvation. The Green Revolution proved the Paddocks wrong." 

Today India's food grain production stands at estimated 353.96 million tonnes. 

"Last year, India harvested 115 million tons of wheat," Dr. Singh noted. "India is now in a position to export wheat to needy nations."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, writing a tribute on Dr Swaminathan on 
October 7, 2023, wrote "He was a true 'Kisan Vaigyanik' - a Farmers' Scientist. In his heart there was a farmer. He consistently advocated for sustainable agriculture, emphasising the delicate balance between human advancement and ecological sustainability". 

PM Modi added: "I want you all to think about the challenging circumstances in which he stood as a colossus, guiding our nation towards the path of self-sufficiency and self-confidence. In the first two decades since Independence, we were dealing with immense challenges and one of them was food shortages. In the early 1960s, India was grappling with the ominous shadows of famine and it is then that Prof. Swaminathan's unyielding commitment and foresight ushered a new era of agricultural prosperity. His pioneering work in agriculture and specific sectors like wheat breeding led to a significant increase in wheat production, thus turning India from a food-deficient country into a self-sufficient nation. This tremendous achievement earned him the well-deserved title of, "Father of the Indian Green Revolution'."

But Dr Swaminathan didn't stop at the Green Revolution. He envisioned an "Evergreen Revolution," which he defined as "production in perpetuity without harming the environment." 

Dr Singh explained that India is moving toward this goal by conserving natural resources, improving water and fertilizer efficiency, and developing climate-resilient technologies.

Speaking to NDTV in 2013, Dr Swaminathan had said: "We could not have done [nuclear tests at] Pokhran either during Indira Gandhi's time or Vajpayee's time if we did not, if we were not self-sufficient in food. Because you can withstand all other sanctions, but not sanction which denies you the food. Therefore, it is a historic transition. The younger generation do not want to take to agriculture because it is a very risky profession and provides low income. But I think the future belongs to nations with grains and not guns. Guns you can purchase, but grains you cannot purchase.'

Dr Singh stressed the importance of investing in agricultural research and development, noting that India currently allocates about 0.5% of its agricultural GDP to R&D, a figure that should ideally double to meet future challenges.

Dr ML Jat, Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, ICAR, told NDTV: "Under Prof. MS Swaminathan's stewardship, ICAR blossomed into a catalyst for India's agricultural transformation, seeding innovation, and reaping a harvest of progress that continues to nourish the nation's growth and prosperity."

The current director of IARI, Dr Cherukumalli Srinivasa Rao, says, "food, nutrition, sustainability, equity, well-being of humankind are the true pillars of  Prof Swaminathan's  philosophical path taking Indian agriculture from the Green Revolution to an Evergreen Revolution in India".

This centenary celebration is not just a remembrance of a visionary scientist but a reaffirmation of India's commitment to sustainable agriculture and food sovereignty. As the nation looks ahead, the legacy of Dr MS Swaminathan continues to inspire scientists, policymakers, and farmers alike.