M.S. Swaminathan's 100th Birth Anniversary: PM Modi Honours The Man Who Fed India

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This morning, on 7 August 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the country in paying tribute to M.S. Swaminathan on what would have been his 100th birthday. At the ICAR campus in Delhi, Modi inaugurated the M.S. Swaminathan Centenary International Conference, launched a commemorative stamp and coin, and introduced the M.S. Swaminathan Award for Food and Peace-a new global honour aimed at advancing food security and climate justice in developing countries. The event wasn't just ceremonial; it was a clear nod to how Swaminathan's work continues to shape national policy, even decades after his groundbreaking contributions.

But long before he was the man being honoured by prime ministers, M.S. Swaminathan was a young student with a different dream.

Born Out Of A Crisis, Committed To A Cause

M.S. Swaminathan didn't start out planning to transform Indian agriculture. In fact, he initially considered becoming a doctor. But witnessing the Bengal Famine of 1943 as a young man changed everything. He saw what hunger looked like-real, raw, and avoidable. That one experience steered him towards agriculture, and ultimately towards a life dedicated to ensuring that no Indian went to bed hungry.

Born on 7 August 1925 in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, Swaminathan went on to study genetics at Cambridge and later returned to India with a mission: to use science to grow more food. What followed would rewrite the country's agricultural story.

The Work That Fed A Nation

In the 1960s, India was staring down the barrel of severe food shortages. Famine wasn't just a possibility-it was a real and looming threat. Swaminathan collaborated with Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug to introduce high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice to Indian soil. This scientific intervention didn't just improve crop output, it changed the country's trajectory. The movement came to be known as the Green Revolution, and Swaminathan became its Indian architect.

But he wasn't content to stop at yields. His later work focused on sustainability and equity-topics that were years ahead of their time. He coined the term "Evergreen Revolution", to stress that productivity shouldn't come at the cost of environmental health.

More Than A Scientist

Swaminathan wore many hats: researcher, teacher, policy-maker, and institution-builder. He chaired the National Commission on Farmers, recommending wide-ranging reforms to protect and empower India's farming community. In 1988, he founded the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in Chennai, which continues to work at the intersection of science and rural development.

He also introduced ideas like biohappiness, the notion that biodiversity and human well-being are linked and supported initiatives like community seed banks and bio-villages. For him, technology wasn't enough; it had to serve people.

Modi's Tribute On The Centenary

Coming back to the present day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the M.S. Swaminathan Centenary International Conference at ICAR-PUSA in Delhi. The theme, "Evergreen Revolution: The Pathway to Biohappiness", reflected the depth of Swaminathan's thinking.

Modi used the occasion to launch the M.S. Swaminathan Award for Food and Peace, which will recognise individuals across developing countries working on food security, climate justice, and equitable growth. The first award was conferred during the event.

In his address, the Prime Minister also emphasised a shift in national focus from just food security to nutritional security. He called for the development of climate-resilient, biofortified crops, referencing Swaminathan's early work on millets and biodiversity as a roadmap for the future.

Modi also recalled conferring the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour on Swaminathan posthumously, calling it a gesture of deep national gratitude.

The Road Ahead Still Wears His Footprints

Swaminathan passed away in September 2023, but the questions he raised and the principles he stood by haven't faded. In fact, they feel more urgent than ever. How do we grow food without destroying the environment? How do we ensure farmers aren't left behind in the race for development? How do we measure agricultural success by quantity alone, or also by nutrition and sustainability?

These aren't just policy questions. They're human questions. And Swaminathan spent his entire life trying to answer them with clarity, compassion, and scientific rigour.

A Century That Still Feeds The Future

M.S. Swaminathan would've turned 100 today. And even though he's no longer with us, his ideas still speak-through every bag of wheat harvested, every grain of rice stored, and every village that refuses to be left behind.

Prime Minister Modi's recent tribute marked a conscious return to the values Swaminathan held close: equity, sustainability, and a food system that works for both people and the planet.

India may never need another Green Revolution, but it will always need the clarity of vision Swaminathan brought to its fields. On his centenary, it's worth taking a moment to remember the man who didn't just teach us how to grow more food, he showed us how to grow up as a nation.