October 7, 2009

Norman Borlaug - a Scientist and a Humanist

Recently, I woke up to the news that Prof. Norman Borlaug - the man who saved Indians from starvation had passed away. It is only fitting that as many Indians today know the implications and magnitude of the contribution of Dr. Borlaug. Prof. M.S.Swaminathan recently gave an interview recalling the days of the 'making of the green revolution' in Rediff and I encourage all readers to read this interview

It really pains me when I hear people criticizing the green revolution and blaming it for extensive, consequent use of fertilizers and pesticides in growing these hybrids. Its is so easy to sit back and criticize. Very few realise that we had no food to eat and our then PM, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri called upon the citizens to have only one meal a day!! Such was the dire situation we were in, that, USA had classified us under the 'triage' principle, as a country, that cannot be saved with supply of foodgrains. To those who don't know, we lived a ship-to-mouth existence - when the ship arrived, we had foodgrains, else no food!

It was under such dire straits that the Green Revolution happened in India and our production multiplied dramatically, manifold, and therefore termed as a Revolution.

I would like all right thinking Indians to please read and educate ourselves before we get swayed by activists who only know to propagate 'don't do ecology'... If you notice, they never give solutions, they only criticize and are always against something.

Jai Ho! to Norman Borlaug, Prof Swaminathan and such people who have striven against great odds to help the farmers

2 comments:

Narendra shenoy said...

Well said! I too have heard him criticized for being ecodamaging. Rot! The man was a hero!

Devi said...

Absolutely true! If we had to save only the ecology, we shouldn't be living in houses, driving cars, have any industry:-)