Ms Swaminathan in Conversation with Nitya Rao: From Reflections on My Life to the Ethics and Politics of Science

The book is a conversation based biographical account of one of the most respected agricultural scientists the world has seen---MS Swaminathan, a living legend, responsible for India's green revolution. He is recipient of numerous awards, including the first World Food Prize, and was named one of the 20 most influential Asians of the 20th century by Time magazine. This book consists of two parts, written at different times and with different purposes. They are not sequential, yet belong together. The first tells the story of the life of M.S. Swaminathan, and his dream of securing human dignity through food sovereignty in India, and the second reflects on the implications and nuances of the story. Part two, however, is more reflective in nature, and concerned with issues which had to be confronted in the course of his career. In this part, he reflects on how politics has influenced and shaped the course of agricultural development; and how different ethical stances, often in conflict, have come into play. This is not just a historical account, but equally valid in present times.

Currently Professor, Gender and Development, at the School of International Development, University of East Anglia, Nitya Rao has close to 30 years experience as a field-level practitioner, trainer, researcher and teacher. She has been concerned with developing strategies for women’s empowerment, social equity and livelihood security through education, decent work and land and resource rights. Her book entitled "Good Women Do Not Inherit Land": Politics of Land and Gender in India was published in 2008, with a second paperback edition in 2012. Nitya is the youngest daughter of MS and Mina Swaminathan.