Dr. Monkombu Sambasivan Swaminathan was the first Indian to receive the World Food prize. For spearheading the introduction of high-yielding wheat and rice varieties to India’s farmers. "The word ‘impossible' exists mainly in our minds," his father once told him, "but given the requisite will and effort, great tasks can be accomplished." In a career dedicated to alleviating human suffering, Dr. Swaminathan has completed the work of many lifetimes, and, like his mentor and colleague Dr. Norman Borlaug, he is recognized as a leader in the world’s "Green Revolution.”