Biography of M.S. Swaminathan released in Chennai

A biography of agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan, titled The Man Who Fed India, was released in Chennai on Sunday.

The book, authored by Priyambada Jayakumar, traces Prof. Swaminathan’s life from his childhood in Kumbakonam and his early introduction to agriculture and his eventual association with Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug, which ultimately led to the Green Revolution.

It was released by actor-politician Kamal Haasan, in the presence of Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services Palanivel Thiaga Rajan.

At the launch, Ms. Jayakumar said that beyond Prof. Swaminathan’s scientific achievements, he championed the rights and livelihoods of small farmers, women in agriculture, and rural communities. He often reminded the world that true progress was not in wealth or power, but in the ability to uplift the poorest and most vulnerable.

Mr. Haasan said even the term annadaata, the giver of food, could not fully encompass the man or his legacy.

“Tamil Nadu knows the word Annavaasal, the gateway of food. Two thousand years ago, Jain monks were bestowed that honour. In our age, M.S. Swaminathan reclaimed it, not through prayer, but through science. The book is a glimpse of the man behind the legend,” he said.

‘Still relevant’

During a fireside chat following the launch, Mr. Thiaga Rajan said Prof. Swaminathan’s emphasis on self-reliance in food production remained strikingly relevant today.

“The recent pandemic and global disruptions have reminded us how fragile supply chains can be, and how right he was in arguing that national security begins with food security,” he remarked.

Mr. Thiaga Rajan added that Prof. Swaminathan believed that a country’s strength could be seen in its ability to feed itself and self-sufficiency was not isolation but empowerment, and his vision connected agriculture, economy, and social welfare in one broad, humane framework.