ALAPPUZHA: Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan’s Bharat Ratna was a long time coming. And it has put a remote corner of Kuttanad, Kerala’s rice bowl, on the national map. His childhood days in Mankombu immensely influenced the visionary agriculture scientist, who spearheaded the country’s ‘Green Revolution’ – which also brought him global renown.
“More than a national legend, he was a world citizen,” says K G Padmakumar, director of the International Research & Training Centre for Below Sea Level Farming in Kuttanad and a former associate of MSS, as Swaminathan was fondly called.
“India attained political independence in 1947, but, real independence came when the country became self-sufficient in food grains. This was the result of Swaminathan’s earnest efforts in the 1970s. He went on to work towards global food sufficiency. Many countries adopted his methods, which helped eradicate global poverty to an extent. The highest honour was long overdue,” Padmakumar said.
“He established premiere agriculture institutes in around 12 countries. His journey started from Kuttanad. That farming in the region, which is below sea level, was always a struggle against the vagaries of nature deeply affected him. This inspired him to pursue studies in agriculture and it paved the way for the revolution in the sector,” Padmakumar said.