Dear elders and friends,
Now that the discussion has turned to who the father of green revolution was, I will like to reply to some comments and arguments made by Dr Mahapatra. It is quite true that like me, many others were not even born during the green revolution to which Dr Mahapatra claims to be a privy. But that cannot be a deficiency to arrive at a conscious conclusion on who were the architects of green revolution. Personally, I am averse to use of the term `father'. Green revolution was not the brain child or outcome of overwhelming contribution of just one person so as to term him as the father of the revolution. But for the sake of comparison, let us assume someone did contribute far overwhelmingly than any other.
Dr Mahapatra argues that "The real father of India's green revolution is not Dr Swaminathan but Dr Ralph Cummings". He cites four arguments as evidence to his claim. First is that `Dr Ralph Cummings was the director of Ford Foundation Project of India' during the first Prime Ministership of Mrs Indira Gandhi. To correct him, Dr Cummings was not with the Ford Foundation but with Rockefeller Foundation during that period. The other three examples put forth by Dr Mahapatra are to establish the stature of Dr Cummings. Dr. Mahapatra cites examples of how `there is a building at IARI named after Dr. Ralph Cummings, called Cummings Building'; how `he was instrumental in moving IARI to Delhi'; and how `Govt. of India so appreciative of Dr. Cummings contribution that it arranged a special ship/container to transport / gifts he received from the Govt. Of India when he left India'.
These few examples may be enough to prove that he was the father of India's green revolution to Dr Mahapatra. But, I am sorry I am not that convinced. Dr. Cummings was the director of Rockfellor Foundation's agriculture programmes in India from 1955–66. At that time Rockefeller and Ford Foundations in cooperation with the Mexican government had established the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico and had achieved quite success with dwarf high-yielding wheat varieties. The CIMMTY was an autonomous international research training institute. Naturally, since his foundation had some success in Mexico, Dr Cummings was quite keen on trying those dwarf wheat varieties in India. He arranged some seeds from CIMMTY and gave those to IARI units at Pantnagar and Ludhiana for trials. The trials were quite successful in the sense that they reciprocated to high chemical fertilizer inputs and yield rate were similar to that in Mexico.
During that period, India was overly dependent on US for food supplies. Foundations like Rockfellor and Ford or institutions like the World Bank were almost bullying the government on everything. It was in that capacity that Dr Cummings was quite influential. Dr Mahapatra has said that `he was the first and only foreigner who was given a cabinet rank by the government of India.' That is grossly wrong. He was never given a cabinet rank by India. Certainly, Director of agriculture programmes of Rockfellor foundation's India operation is not at all a government post and hence cannot be of cabinet rank. Dr Cumming's other major assignment in India was as the director ICRISAT, which is also nowhere near a post of cabinet rank. In between these two posts he did not hold any other post which is equivalent to or were of cabinet rank. So, when was he accorded the cabinet rank that Dr Mahapatra refers to?
Dr. Cumming's role was limited to bringing seed from Mexico to lobbying for its use in Indian fields. Many others have contributed to green revolution in far significant scale than Dr Cummings, one of them being Nobel laureate Dr. Borloug. Mr. Mahapatra has made some reference to Borlough, but only just. After seeing success of dwarf varieties of seeds which Dr Cummings had taken from his institute in Mexico, Dr Borlough became very interested in India and the lobbied (for dwarf high-yielding wheat) hard with India government through people like Dr Swaminathan. Dr. Swaminathan was then instrumental in the field studies of the seeds imported from Mexico and their cross-breeding. In 1966, Swamianthan took the lead in influencing the government, to import large quantity of seeds for quick multiplication and large scale trials. In that year, the government imported 18,000 Tonnes of wheat seeds (which was a very high quantity at that time) from Mexico and
went for large scale trials in north-west India. Farmers were not very enthusiastic about that but the government assured them of just compensation in case of failures. The rest is a history. Dr. Borlough was intensely associated in the early stages of green revolution in India. Later, Dr. Borlough - in his Nobel Prize lecture - has rated the efforts of Indian scientists very highly. Dr Cummings was not given any award for his contribution, but Borlough was. He was awarded with India's second highest civilian honour – the Padma Vibhushan. While replying to his felicitation of Padma Vibhushan, Dr. Borlough had said, "India's green revolution is a team effort… I had to work with a large number of people, especially Dr M S Swaminathan, then with the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, and Agricultural Minister C Subramaniam, to persuade the Indian government to accept high-yielding varieties of wheat. That happened when India finally agreed to
import from Mexico 18,000 tonnes of the seeds". He had further said that, "I used to call them 3 Ss Subramaniam (C. Subramaniam) , Swaminathan (M. S. Swaminathan) and Sivaraman(Siva Raman, then Union Secretary of Agriculture) ."
Dr Mahapatra then tries to give credit for dwarf paddy initiation also to Cummings, which is again not true. There are many literatures which suggest that a senior agriculture officer in the government of India named S. V. Chalam was the first to bring Taichung Native–1 variety of paddy to India from IRRI, Manila. That was in 1964. After its success in India, Cummings of course arranged to purchase one ton of Taichung Native-1 seed from IRRI.
Now let us come to other points made by Dr Mahapatra: After trying to prove that Cummings was the father of green revolution, Dr Mahapatra then says that "before we insist Dr. Swaminathan as the father of India's green revolution, we should call Indira Gandhi as the mother of India's green revolution, for it is under her PM-ship the PL-480 was repealed, and green revolution was conceptualized and accentuated" . The green revolution was not conceptualized first under Mrs. Gandhi, rather it was under Prime Minister Shastri that a marked shift from heavy industries to agriculture was initiated. As India was going through a severe food crisis, C Subramaniam – then considered as a very efficient minister - was shifted from heavy ministries to head the food and agriculture ministry in 1964. Later Mrs. Gandhi took that momentum forward by keeping Subramanium in that ministry and giving the go ahead for integrated push for agriculture. Contrary to what Dr
Mahapatra believes, Indira Gandhi never repealed the outrageous PL – 480. Some may require to know something about PL – 480. PL – 480 is the abbreviation of Public Law – 480 (an US law). The full name for Public Law 480, that became an Act in 1954, is the `Agricultural Trade Development Assistance Act'. As this law was not an Indian law, where was the scope for Mrs Gandhi to `repeal' that? One who can enact an Act can only repeal that. But yes, Indira Gandhi was eager to get rid of the food crisis situation so that she did not have to bow to unreasonable and often outrageous conditions laid out for food supply under the PL-480 from America. After few years of green revolution, India was relieved of the food crisis situation and the need to seek help under PL – 480 (which was rather a conditions-ladden loan than a help). So, `repeal' of PL-480 did not lead India to green revolution. Rather, the green revolution made PL-480 redundant for India.
The last two/three paragraphs of Dr. Suvash Mahapatra's posting are absolutely ridiculous and may have been a figment of his imagination. Or it could have been that since we have `only learnt about Dr Swaminathan after he became famous' we are not much aware about how Dr Swaminathan used his connections. On that count, it may not be wise for me to comment on what Dr. Mahapatra has alleged about Dr Swaminathan. But one thing for sure… This posting again breaches the modesty line by quite a bit. He could have been a lot milder while comparing his own with Swaminathan' s or Swaminathan' s comparison with Dr. Cummings. Sadly, this posting again reflects that Dr Mahapatra takes his disliking of few people to very low and does no good his own reputations.
He may be doing good things on soil-less or space agriculture. But what's the use of that?? He often declares that he will make farmer lakhpatis. It would be great if he can name some farmers whom he has made lakhpatis. That will influence young active farmers and development practitioners like me.
As I understand, the context of referring to Dr. Swaminathan was because he was one of the chief architecture of India's green revolution, who has subsequently found what ills in those methods and is now actively trying to rectify some of those mistakes in his own capacity. Dr. Mahapatra has surely achieved some recognition for his works, but whatever his stature of contribution may have been if he uses language like, "I doubt if Dr. Swaminathan can even comprehend what is space agriculture whereas for me, it is not a matter of if but a matter of when. If I accept that Dr. Swaminathan knows anything about space agriculture, then he should also know that it will be all soil less and inorganic." – he does his stature no good.
Dear Dr. Mahapatra… You are totally entitled to advertise your theory. But that will be more acceptable when you shed you ego and arrogance. Unfortunately, that part of your personality is more visible to people like me who do not know much about you.
Lastly, kindly take note that, by replying your post this way I am not at all undermining the role played by Dr. Cummings (your alma mater) in India's green revolution. But the thing is that one of the most prominent person involved in the green revolution is now trying to ammend the mistakes that he has found out in that revolution process. That introspection and course correction increases our respect for that person, not his involvement in the revolution per se.
Thanking You.
Regards
Bimal Prasad Pandia
