Chidambaram Subramaniam

[[File:Chidambaram Subramaniam 2010 stamp of India.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Subramaniam, honored on a 2010 stamp]]
{{IndianPolitics}}
'''Chidambaram Subramanian''' {{lived|30 January 1910|7 November 2000}} was a prominent [[India|Indian]] independence activist and post-independence [[politician]], political entrepreneur, and [[bureaucrat]].<ref>"[https://www.britannica.com/biography/C-Subramaniam C. Subramaniam | Indian politician]". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 9 January 2020.</ref> He played a decisive role in ushering in India's Green Revolution along with [[Norman Borlaug]] and [[M.S. Swaminathan]]. An unstoppable workaholic, in post independence India he served as the minister of finance, agriculture, and defense. He was also involved in drafting India's [[constitution]], served as governor of the State of Maharashtra and worked as the deputy chairman of the [[Command economy|Planning Commission]] while India had a quasi-[[socialist]] economy.<ref>Times, New York (11 November 2000). "[https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Chidambaram-Subramaniam-2696981.php Chidambaram Subramaniam]". SFGate. Retrieved 9 January 2020.</ref> Originally he studied [[physics]] and [[law]] in college and was briefly imprisoned by the [[British Empire|British]] for his political activism. In 1998 he was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honor.

==India's Green Revolution==
[[File:Wheat field in Punjab -1.jpg|165px|thumb|left|Indian wheat field. Wheat is India's second most important crop behind rice.]]
Subramanian was agricultural minister in Prime Minister [[Indira Gandhi|Indira Gandhi's]] Cabinet in 1966 when he helped introduced a new [[Mexican]] semi-dwarf wheat variety to India's farmers. His advocacy ultimately allowed the nation to become self-sufficient in wheat production. India had relied heavily on wheat imports after independence as its population continued to balloon. The threat of famine lingered in everyone's mind as [[Malthusian|doom mongers]] in the West anticipated disaster.<ref group=note>Prominent doomers included William and Paul Paddock the authors of the 1967 best seller {{wpl|Famine 1975!|''Famine 1975! America's Decision: Who Will Survive?''}}', Paul R. Ehrlich, author of the 1968 best seller ''{{wpl|The Population Bomb|''The Population Bomb''}}'', and the perpetually pessimistic Club of Rome author of the 1972 best seller {{wpl|The Limits to Growth|''The Limits to Growth''}}.</ref> Subramaniam turned the lawns around his home into experimental fields, where he grew a strain of Mexican wheat that he believed would thrive in India. In 1964, he persuaded India's top politicians to embrace the production of the Mexican wheat. Within four years, the nationwide harvest had increased from 10 million to 17 million tons.<ref>ibid.</ref><ref>"[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-nov-13-me-51167-story.html Chidambaram Subramaniam; Increased India Harvest]". Los Angeles Times. 13 November 2000. Retrieved 9 January 2020.</ref> India's green revolution continued until approximately the early 1990's when yearly increases in agricultural productivity began to slow down. For his work in opening the political channels to allow greater usage of new seed varieties and modern synthetic fertilizers Subramanian is sometimes called the father of "India's Green Revolution".

==See also==
*[[M.S. Swaminathan]]
*[[Norman Borlaug]]
*[[Botany]]

==Notes==
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==References==
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[[Category:Indian politicians]]
[[Category:GMO]]

Categories: Indians, Indian politicians, GMO