MS Swaminathan, Father of India's Green Revolution, dies at 98: A look at his life

Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan, also known as MS Swaminathan, was a well-known plant geneticist, agricultural scientist, and agronomic. He passed away at the age of 98 in Chennai at 11:20 a. The celebrated agriculture icon was undergoing treatment for age-related illness for quite some time, sources at the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation have said. (Image: AFP)

He is credited as being the mastermind of India's green revolution and was instrumental in the introduction and advancement of high-yielding wheat and rice crops. By injecting strategic policies, and developing high-yielding seeds suited to the Indian climate, he ensured a wave of change at the grassroots level in the Indian agricultural space. (Image: X/@msswaminathan)

Swaminathan was the Director of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute from 1961 to 1972, the Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Agricultural Research and Education from 1972 to 1979, the Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture from 1979 to 1980, the Acting Deputy Chairman and later Member (Science and Agriculture), Planning Commission from 1980 to 1982, and the Director General of the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines from 1982 to 1988. (Image: X/@msswaminathan)

After receiving the first World Food Prize in 1987, Swaminathan used the $200,000 prize money to found the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in Taramani, Chennai. Former United Nations Secretary General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar praised Swaminathan and called him "a living legend", who "will go into the annals of history as a world scientist of a rare distinction" for his despicable attempts to bring about a Green Revolution in India. (Image: AFP)

On September 28, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to microblogging site, X (formerly Twitter) to offer his condolences on Swaminathan's demise. "At a very critical period in our nation’s history, his groundbreaking work in agriculture transformed the lives of millions and ensured food security for our nation," wrote PM Modi. (Image: X/@narendramodi)