Kolkata, 11 January 2026: The Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival 2026 hosted a compelling session at the Alipore Museum titled ‘M.S. Swaminathan: The Man Who Fed India’, which is also the title of the recently published biography written by his niece, Priyambada Jayakumar, who was in conversation with author, poet, and editor Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan to reflect on the life and legacy of the pioneering scientist widely known as the Father of India’s Green Revolution.
The discussion traced how M.S. Swaminathan's work with high-yielding crop varieties and farmer-focused scientific interventions transformed India's food security landscape, altering the nation's trajectory in the decades following Independence. Drawing from her biography, Priyambada Jayakumar spoke about the personal convictions, institutional battles, and the deeply human stories that shaped his journey. During the session, Priyambada Jayakumar powerfully observed, "While Gandhi gave us freedom from colonialism, M.S. Swaminathan gave us freedom from hunger.” The audience also got to learn that the ‘Evergreen Revolution’, a partnership that erstwhile US President Barack Obama had announced with India in 2010 to improve global food security and sustainability, explicitly drew from M.S. Swaminathan's later ideas. This initiative aimed to build on the successes of the original Green Revolution while tackling its environmental issues.
She highlighted a defining episode from the biography: for seven weeks, Swaminathan knocked on farmers' doors in Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, carrying hybrid seeds in his pocket, trying to convince sceptical farmers to try something new. Finally, one farmer agreed, not because of promises, but because Swaminathan came on Sundays with his family, unpaid, demonstrating genuine commitment. “That one leap of faith actually changed India's fortunes,” she noted, explaining how this single farmer's trust sparked the widespread adoption that led to India's granaries overflowing with grain by the late 1960s.
Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan brought a writer’s lens to the session as a moderator through questions of legacy and the craft of biographical writing, discussing with Priyambada how to balance objectivity with affection, and myth with humanity. She also underscored the relevance of revisiting agricultural history today, especially as concerns around sustainability, climate stress, and food systems return to the forefront.
The concluding audience interaction reflected on the global resonance of Swaminathan’s work, his friendship with Verghese Kurien, and the enduring lessons his life offers the next generation.
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