Chromosome sketches, rare photos, handwritten notes — glimpses from the life of MS Swaminathan

Archives at National Centre for Biological Sciences provide insight into mind of Father of India’s Green Revolution, include diary entries, Guru Nanak quotes, records of crop experiments.

Illustration by Manisha Yadav, ThePrint | Images sourced from Archives at National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS)

New Delhi: Handmade drawings of chromosome pairing as seen under the microscope, a quote from Guru Nanak, columns of experimental notes, and photographs of experimental plants — the Archives at National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) give a glimpse into the mind of pioneering Indian agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan, known as the architect of India’s Green Revolution.

Swaminathan died Thursday in his Chennai home at the age of 98.

Sifting through hundreds of pages of these archives, ThePrint brings you some of his notes, drawings and photographs.

Page from MS Swaminathan’s 1960 Lab notebook at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI). The entry describes seeds that the lab received from James L Brewbaker | Laboratory notebook, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, 1960 (MS-007-1-1-1-1) | From Archives at NCBS

A page from Swaminathan’s 1960 Lab notebook at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) describes seeds that the lab received from James L. Brewbaker who was appointed to establish and run a ‘Co60’ pooltype irradiator with Swaminathan at India’s World Agricultural Fair. The full design and use of the irradiator,  used to tweak the genes of crops, was published in the journal, Current Science, in 1960.

The same notebook has handwritten records of irradiation experiments on tomatoes, snapdragon and rose varieties from November 1959 | Indian Agricultural Research Institute, 1960 (MS-007-1-1-1-1) | From Archives at NCBS

Invoice for snapdragon plants, coleus plants, tomato plants, petunias and verbenas amounting to $100. These were shipped from the Brookhaven National Laboratory in the US for the 1st World Agriculture Fair held on 11 December, 1959, to 11 March, 1960, at New Delhi. The fair was inaugurated by Dr. Rajendra Prasad, President of India, with US President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Indian Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru | Laboratory notebook, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, 1960 (MS-007-1-1-1-1) | From Archives at NCBS

Drawings of chromosome pairings as seen under the microscope. These are presumably from field experiments of crossbreeding beardless wheat or awnless wheat. A beard is a long bristly spike that protrudes from the seed shell and protects the seed kernel. Awnless wheat, which is not grown in India, was an excellent tool to study genetics in wheat varieties | Laboratory notebook, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, 1960 (MS-007-1-1-1-1) | From Archives at NCBS

A folio titled ‘Salient Research Achievements, 1966’ also has data and photographs from The Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, 1966.

Some ‘promising varieties’ of sugarcane labelled in their respective pots. However, the ICAR now recognises some of these varieties — like 419 and 62174 — as highly susceptible to diseases | The Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, 1966 (MS-007-1-1-44-8) | From Archives at NCBS

Image of a stained pollen tube, as seen under the microscope | The Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, 1966 (MS-007-1-1-44-8) | From Archives at NCBS

Hybridised embryo cultures in test tubes | The Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, 1966 (MS-007-1-1-44-8) | From Archives at NCBS

MS Swaminathan and the Hunger Project, Global Board of Directors Meeting at the International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines, 1987 (MS-007-6-2-25-2) | From Archives at NCBS

In 1987, Swaminathan was named the first World Food Prize Laureate for developing and spearheading the introduction of high-yielding wheat and rice varieties into India during the 1960s when that country faced the prospect of widespread famine.

A page from notes on the speech given by Jawaharlal Nehru at the 37th session of the Indian Science Congress in Pune (then Poona) held on 2 January, 1950 | Notes, Conferences and Workshops – 1988 (MS-007-1-3-1-8) | From Archives at NCBS

Notes from another speech by Nehru on ‘Science in the development of a nation’ at the Ceylon Association for the Advancement of Science on October 15, 1962 | Notes, Conferences and Workshops – 1988 (MS-007-1-3-1-8) | From Archives at NCBS

The notes from a 1962 speech by Nehru say, “We can’t have progress if the land ownership is feudal,” adding, “Science is not some Aladdin’s lamp. You have to work hard”. These appear to be from the book Jawaharlal Nehru on Science.

Notes, Conferences and Workshops – 1988 (MS-007-1-3-1-8) | From Archives at NCBS

Also jotted down in his notebook is this quote from Guru Nanak: “Why need I try to emulate the great”. The note reflects Swaminathan’s philosophy to stay grounded.

Notes from a meeting to consider the formation of an International Society of Women in Agriculture. The notes outline the aims of such an organisation. Notes, Conferences and Workshops – 1988 (MS-007-1-3-1-8) | From Archives at NCBS

Swaminathan’s work over the years has focused on empowering women in agriculture. The working group lists Indian academic and feminist Vina Mazumdar and Janice Jiggins from Netherlands, among others, many of whose comments at the meeting are documented in Swaminathan’s diary.

A diary note on the proceedings of a meeting of the Science and Technology Commission | Notes, Conferences and Workshops – 1988 (MS-007-1-3-1-8) | From Archives at NCBS

In an entry dated 10 December, 1988, Swaminathan notes the proceedings of a meeting of the Science and Technology Commission — proposing a separate chapter on science and technology in India’s Five Year Plan. The notes talk about allocating 1.25 percent of the budget of science and technology and prioritising agricultural research.

(Edited by Smriti Sinha)