Chidambaram Subramaniam Biography

Bharat Ratna Chidambaram Subramaniam often referred as the “Father of the Green Revolution” was a veteran Indian politician who ushered the Indian ‘Green Revolution’ along with B. Sivaraman, M. S. Swaminathan and Norman E. Borlaug during his tenure as ‘Minister for Food and Agriculture’. The period marked increase in yields in agriculture in India and development of high-yielding varieties of wheat aiding the nation to achieve self-sufficiency in grain production. This was made possible by Subramaniam, generally considered as the political architect of ‘Green Revolution’ of India, who spread the application of new variety of wheat to the farmers thus making India proficient in wheat production instead of importing the grain. The step helped the nation to overcome chronic food deficiency as also dependency on import of wheat. He also successfully undertook a new program to sell hybrid seeds, pesticides and fertilizers at highly subsidized rates. He participated in Indian independence movement during the British Raj and faced incarceration during early 1940s. Post independence he served as a Constituent Assembly member that drafted the ‘Constitution of India’. He also served the cabinet as ‘Minister of Defence’ and ‘Minister of Finance’. Later he became the Governor of Maharashtra. In 1993 his autobiography ‘Hand of Destiny’ was published.