‘The Happiness Road’ is a weekly Series on this Blog that
appears on Sundays where I share my conversations with people while exploring
their idea of happiness!
This Sunday I feature eminent geneticist Prof.M.S.Swaminathan,
who, at 90, shares with me his little secret to harvesting happiness!
When my
meeting with Prof.M.S.Swaminathan ended, the word, ‘blessing’ kept popping up
in my head on the ride back home. “What a blessing it is,” I thought, “to meet
someone like him”. Not because of what he has achieved – but because of the way
he is, despite what he has achieved! Titles like international geneticist, the
‘Father of the Indian Green Revolution’; honours like the Padma Vibhushan; an
awe-inspiring work and travel schedule that includes fulfilling invitations
from Heads of State of Afghanistan to Bhutan to Japan to Sri Lanka; all this,
at 90, to Swaminathan, is “just a part of this journey called Life”!
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| Prof.M.S.Swaminathan Picture by Vaani Anand |
He leans
forward, with eyes lighting up, when he says, “You have an unusual question – ‘what makes you happy’?” “Happiness is a
state of mind. I think Bhutan has got it right when they talk of Gross National
Happiness (GNH). They asked me for suggestions on GNH. And I told them that it
is more than just economics. It is what people feel through the influences of
culture, music, spirituality, morality, work, work ethic…relationships…all of
these. Happiness is an attitude.”
In
Swaminathan’s presence you can’t but help wonder how he is so much at peace
with himself and with the world around him. Swaminathan considers himself very
fortunate that he always got the right support to be who he wanted to be.
“Although I lost my father when I was only 11, my family has helped me go do
what I loved doing. First it was my uncle, then it was my wife Mina and my
three daughters. I believe your family plays a big role in your happiness,” he
explains. Adding, “And of course, I had the opportunity to be led and
surrounded by people who gave me the freedom to express myself through my work.
I have been very, very fortunate to have achieved all that I set out to
achieve.” Swaminathan recounts an incident from 1961 when he received the
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award from the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
One week later, Nehru invited him to his office and asked him, “Young man, I
remember giving you a prestigious award last week. Tell me, what did you do to
deserve it?” When Swaminathan explained his research focus, Nehru thumped his
back and asked him to forge ahead. “Whether it was Nehru or later Indira Gandhi
or C.V.Raman or C.Subramaniam, everyone I looked up to has only been
supportive,” informs Swaminathan.
Quoting
French philosopher Marquis de Condorcet, Swaminathan says, “Population will
stabilize itself if children are born for happiness – not by chance, but by
choice.” The World Happiness Report 2015 ranks India at 117th
position among 158 countries surveyed. Swaminathan refers to this report and
believes we need a reorientation of our value systems to shift the focus from
material wealth to happiness arising from the joy of sharing and caring. His
modest office in Taramani is lined with dozens of awards – from across the
world. In fact, there’s no more shelf-space to hold the next one when it
arrives! Each of these awards has been accompanied by a cash prize in
celebration of Swaminathan’s scientific genius. But he’s given it all away to
further research at the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation. “I believe in
Gandhi’s philosophy of trusteeship – I don’t need to own anything more than
what I need. My work is not my own. So many people, so many efforts, I have no
right to take any of what I got for myself,” he says.
Swaminathan
says he’s enjoyed every moment of the ‘60 years of adventure’ he’s had with
agricultural research. Along the way, watching his daughters grow up and settle
down, seeing his wife find joy in whatever she chose to do, reading Aurobindo
and Ramana Maharishi – all these, he feels, make him happy. “And, of course,
listening to T.M.Krishna live is such a delight – he always elevates you to a
new high, takes you to a new horizon,” exults Swaminathan.
I believe
Swaminathan has not just led the Indian Green Revolution, but along the way,
he’s learned to harvest happiness too! That’s what makes his Life so
meaningful. As we are winding down our hour-long conversation, I ask him if
he’s thought of how he may be remembered. He laughs. “There are 6 billion
people in the world. 100,000 may know me at present. I am not sure anyone will
want to remember me. My work too may become obsolete as newer research arrives.
My family may remember me for a few more years perhaps. But it doesn’t matter.
The whole world thrives on receding memory!”
Humility
and divinity truly converge in Prof. Swaminathan. Maybe that’s why he’s so
happy, so peaceful – and so successful?
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