Scientist and Humanist - M.S. Swaminathan

Abstract

Receiving a biography of one of its Life Member, Fellow and past Secretary for eight terms (1955-62) and President for three terms (1964, 1975, and 1983) from Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan for review in our own Society's journal was a pleasant surprise for the reviewer. It is rare to find published books solely devoted to life and works of an individual scientist. It is all the more rare to find a book being published about the work and scientific contributions of a person during his own active life time. Dr. Swaminathan's case, however, is really an exception. A similar volume "Science and Agriculture - M.S. Swaminathan and the Movement for Self-reliance" edited by S. Ramanujam, EA Siddiq, V.L. Chopra and S.K. Sinha, presenting the major contributions of Dr. Swaminathan to agricultural research, education and extension over a period of three decades, from 1947 to 1980, was published in 1980 at the initiative of several learned Societies led by Indian Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding, which was also responsible for its marketing. The present volume is largely an up to date fully revised edition of the same.