M S Swaminathan was born in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India. He received his B Sc degree in Biology from Travancore University, Trivandrum; B Sc in Agriculture from Madras University, and PhD in Agriculture from University of Cambridge. He has had a distinguished research, teaching, and administrative career at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI); Director General of Indian Council of Agricultural research (ICAR); Secretary of Agriculture, Government ...