Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, the Father of the Green Revolution, passed away on 28 September 2023 at the age of 98 in Chennai.
While most of us would applaud and remember him for helping improve the food security of Bharat stronger, for having helped put food on every Bharatiya’s plate, left-liberals, unable to take the admiration and praise, resorted to mudslinging.
Here’s one post on X/Twitter that called him out for being an “Iyengar” and then went on to blame him for being the reason why rice became a staple diet in the south of Bharat. They blamed the Brahmins for the diabetes epidemic that has befallen the country.
For starters, Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, or Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan, had his roots in Kerala and was born to Mankombu K Sambasivan and Parvathy Thangammal in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu. Iyengars are mostly Vaishnavites and do not name their children after Bhagwan Murugan. Swaminathan is a typical Iyer name (Smartha) – the poorvashrama name of the Seer of Kanchi, Mahaperiyava Chandrashekarendra Saraswati Swamigal is also Swaminathan.
At Swami Malai near Kumbakonam, one of the six abodes of Shri Murugan (ArupadaiVeedu), our Puranas tell us that Bhagwan Murugan taught His father, Bhagwan Shiva, the meaning of the Pranava mantra, Om. So, the first lie debunked there.
This handle shares a video link of one Dr. Veena Shatrugna, who alleges that a Brahmin scientist like Swaminathan was responsible for “shaping Brahminical food policies of the “Indian diet” in the 60s, eliminating an emphasis on meat, pulses, local grains instead pushing overreliance on white rice & wheat.”
Food security – Swaminathan’s resolve
At a time when Bharat had faced three wars and a skirmish in 9 years, there was more probability for the nation to become a begging bowl. The Green Revolution was formulated to prevent that, put food on the plate, and allow the citizens to eat a meal. It helped make rice available so people would not die of hunger.
The back-to-back severe drought in the mid-1960s compelled the political leadership and scientific fraternity to look for solutions to overcome the “ship-to-mouth” existence when the country depended on food grains imported from the U.S.
After witnessing the great Bengal Famine in his youth, Dr. M.S. Swaminathan made a commitment that he would work to ensure that no Bharatiya went to bed hungry. When Bharat gained independence, one of its most significant challenges was its ability to provide food for its population, a task that many believed the country would struggle to accomplish. Dr. M.S. Swaminathan and other pioneers, such as Norman Borlaug, played a crucial role in transforming India from a nation chronically plagued by food scarcity and dependency on foreign aid to a self-sustaining and surplus food producer. His efforts in this regard are considered one of the greatest success stories of the 20th century.
The period from 1962 to 1971 was particularly challenging for independent India, marked by three wars within nine years and a war-like confrontation in 1967. However, thanks to the contributions of extraordinary individuals like M.S. Swaminathan, India managed to survive and thrive during this tumultuous decade.
Next, in the video shared, one Veena Shatrugna criticises the role of science in shaping food cultures in India, pointing out how it has been influenced by Western ideas. She argues that Bharatiya scientists have not contributed significantly to the world of science and that those who did often worked under Western systems.
The leftist liberal that she is goes on to “highlight” the caste-based mindset prevalent in India, which apparently led to “distortions” in food policies.
“Upper caste scientists sidelined meat consumption”
She blames “upper-caste scientists from southern India” like Dr. MSS for determining what constitutes ‘Indian culture’ and ‘Indian diet,’ leading to a focus on vegetarianism and neglecting pulses, meat, and other protein sources.
She tries to underscore the importance of protein in the diet and the need for a diverse and balanced diet, including animal protein, to combat issues like malnutrition and stunted growth, especially among marginalised communities.
Let’s debunk these lies. She says meat consumption got sidelined because of the Brahminical imposition. Leftist liberals are more concerned about savouring meat that they fail to realise one crucial point – that meat consumption is closely linked to a nation’s per capita GDP, with poorer countries generally consuming more carbohydrates and wealthier countries consuming more meat, regardless of cultural practices. This is a well-established fact.
- Meat production and consumption saw a significant increase after the 1970s, with the emergence of a poultry revolution in the 1980s and 1990s.
- Rice has traditionally served as the staple food for people of all castes in several states like Bengal and Odisha, and there’s nothing inherently Brahminical about this dietary choice.
- It’s essential to recognize that meat doesn’t magically appear; it requires cultivating high-yield fodder crops to sustain livestock. The development of such crop varieties resulted from practices adopted during the Green Revolution.
- Drawing a parallel, one wouldn’t blame Varghese Kurien, often referred to as the father of the White Revolution, for emphasising milk production over cow meat simply based on his Brahminical background. The focus on milk production had practical agricultural and economic reasons rather than any particular caste influence.
Blaming Brahmins for Diabetes epidemic in the country
The final tweet in that thread is the ultimate one – blame the Brahmin for the Diabetes epidemic.
Talking in the air is what all left-liberals do; they never speak with facts. Has there been any study done on this? Can this person share facts and say that people in the south consumed less rice and more meat and that people (non-rice eaters) do not have diabetes at all? Can Dr. MSS be blamed for diabetes in Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia and Malaysia, where rice is the staple?
By their logic, Brahmins are responsible for every negative thing they experience in life because of their own doing. Ultimately, their lives are all about blaming the Brahmin.
These left liberals can keep howling in their echo chamber. But we as a nation are truly indebted to the man who helped his country come out of a huge crisis. As mentioned above, from becoming a begging bowl to a food-surplus nation, he changed it all for us and future generations.
