Ace scientist MS Swaminathan was also a great human and a family man

A global networker

Followed across the world and in India for insights on agriculture, science and policy, beyond these, Prof Swaminathan packed into his lifetime an agile and widespread correspondence across the globe. These range from political leaders and heads of state – from Nelson Mandela to George Bush, and from Gorbachev to Suharto – he engaged with ease, consistency and clarity.

His efforts helped build rapport for India’s cause and more importantly, built strong visibility for agricultural research and policy. These interactions also spanned renowned scientists – from Norman Borlaug to Nicolai Vavilov – crisscrossing the world, and that reaped excellent rewards for India’s agriculture research, helping it move towards greater self-sufficiency in food and nutrition security.

First-hand I have seen the mutual respect, admiration and constant re-energising of science that came into being through these continued correspondences with institutions, beyond people and with people beyond institutions. As a Rajya Sabha member, later in his life, he also drew from these experiences with ease to add value to Parliamentary matters. Whether for technical agility or for causes such as for women or smallholder marginal farmers, he also understood exactly when to leverage these networked friendships – to benefit as he often said – the smallholder farmers.

A people person

Communication for a person of prominence can be demanding as it calls for strong people skills and the ability to interact with peers, take the opinion of leaders and the media alike. While Prof Swaminathan instituted and built several institutions, the one in his name, the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), has inspired and mentored professionals who have grown with, through and beyond what they might have been. He had a knack for identifying and attracting the right talent – for some it was just the opportunity to work with him and learn while for others it was the exciting and vibrant ideas that grew in his presence. No matter what or where, he would continue to pick up conversations from past associations, relish personal rapport and continue to stay enquiring, learning and curious about new ideas and other people’s professional adventures.

My initial interactions with ‘Professor’, were as a journalist and later on as a professional working in MSSRF, the research institution he set up. He was at ease fielding questions and responding to media requests, no matter whether it was a student of journalism or the editor of a leading magazine. Adept at television, radio and live chats, he knew when to start, stop, what to say and keep it to an optimum length. For journalists who struggle to edit interviews, this was a real blessing.

Most of all, in an atmosphere of 12-letter words and scientific jargon, he found it really easy to just sit down and explain the most complex terms with the greatest ease. People skills while engaging with the general public or people skills while engaging with those at work with him, for both, he had unending patience and courtesy. A front-office staff member would hear the same enquiry and tone as the senior-most scientific staff in the organisation. He inspired a positive environment by his own courteous actions in the workplace. He would often say, “An institution is built by its people, not by the bricks and concrete.”

A family man

Every year on Prof Swaminathan’s birthday, a formal cake-cutting session was organised at MSSRF by the staff association. The cake-cutting exercise would be something he and Mina Swaminathan, his wife, jointly took part in – a comely picture.

In fact, the process and vision of setting up MSSRF was something they embarked on as a couple. Her strong and articulate advocacy for women-led initiatives meant that the approach to research was ‘pro-women’. The book series titled Swaminathan in Conversation with Nitya Rao: From Reflections on My Life to the Ethics and Politics of Science, which articulates his dialogues with daughter Dr Nitya Rao, captures not just his thoughts on key issues but also descriptive insights into their family, and Prof Swaminathan and his wife’s joint vision as professionals and parents.

The highly accomplished three daughters, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Dr Madhura Swaminathan and Dr Nitya Rao, in addition to enviable academic brilliance have each made a mark in their own area of expertise, public health, economics and gender and development and Prof Swaminathan often spoke in informal conversations with pride and fatherly affection of their achievements.

This affection for family is something Prof Swaminathan exuded and extended to all colleagues. The wedding of a son, the dance performance of a daughter, the bereavement of a staff – he took every effort to attend, be a part of these moments and follow them up with kind enquiries and precise memory, relating to colleagues and their families as composite units.

Rich legacy

His legacy therefore is extended too. As politicians, academics, media, families and friends turn up to pay their last respects to Prof Swaminathan, they come not just because he was a celebrity scientist but also because of a strong personal connection. Their most poignant personal memories would likely range from Prof Swaminathan creating a landmark research paper to facilitating a path-breaking policy document for the greater good, to easily changing the trajectory of their professional lives or maybe just distributing sweets to their family and children, with an affectionate smile.

People remember, as they say, not just who they are, but how they made you feel, and this is the valuable personal, professional legacy that moves Prof Swaminathan from just a renowned scientist to a much-valued people’s person.

(Jayashree Balasubramanian, a former professional at the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, currently works at Reliance Foundation.)