Dr. Sanjaya Rajaram (1943 – 17 February 2021) was an Indian-born Mexican scientist and winner of the 2014

World Food Prize The World Food Prize is an international award recognizing the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity, or availability of food in the world. Conceived by Nobel Peace Prize laureate No ...

. He was awarded this prize for his scientific research in developing 480

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

varieties that have been released in 51 countries. This innovation has led to an increase in world wheat production – by more than 200 million tons – building upon the successes of the

Green Revolution The Green Revolution, or the Third Agricultural Revolution, was a period during which technology transfer initiatives resulted in a significant increase in crop yields. These changes in agriculture initially emerged in Developed country , devel ...

. The Government of India awarded him India's fourth- and third-highest civilian awards

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

(2001) and

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...

(2022).

Early life, education and family

Sanjaya Rajaram was born in 1943 near a small farming village Raipur, District

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

in the state of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

in northern India. His family, including his parents, an older brother and a younger sister, made a meagre living on their five-hectare farm growing wheat,

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

and

maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...

. Unlike most children in his socioeconomic position, he was encouraged to pursue an education by his parents, and graduated from secondary school as the top-ranked student in the entire Varanasi District. Rajaram went on to earn a B.Sc. in agriculture from the

University of Gorakhpur Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gorakhpur University (formerly known as Gorakhpur University) is located in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. The University of Gorakhpur is a teaching and residential-cum-affiliating University. It has en ...

, a M.Sc. in genetics and plant breeding from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

and a Ph.D. in plant breeding from the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

. While at the IARI in 1964, he studied genetics and plant breeding under Prof. M.S. Swaminathan.

Career

In 1969, Rajaram began working in Mexico as a wheat breeder at the

International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (known – even in English – by its Spanish acronym CIMMYT for ''Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo'') is a non-profit research-for-development organization that develops ...

(CIMMYT). He was recruited by and worked alongside scientists

Norman Borlaug Norman Ernest Borlaug (; March 25, 1914September 12, 2009) was an American agronomist who led initiatives worldwide that contributed to the extensive increases in agricultural production termed the Green Revolution. Borlaug was awarded multiple ...

and his deputy, Canadian Glenn Anderson, in experimental wheat fields in El Batan ( Texcoco), and in the Mexican cities of

Toluca Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the States of Mexico, state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. Toluca has a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census. The city forms the core of the Grea ...

and Ciudad Obregon, Sonora. In 1972, he became the director of CIMMYT at the age of 29. After 33 years at CIMMYT, including seven as Director of the Global Wheat Program, Rajaram joined the

International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

(ICARDA) as Director of Integrated Gene Management before formally retiring in 2008. During his distinguished career, Rajaram's work resulted in the release of more than 480 varieties of bread wheat in 51 countries, which are grown on more than 58 million hectares worldwide. Rajaram, an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, was also the owner and director of ''Resource Seed Mexicana'', a small private company specializing in wheat development and promotion. Rajaram died from

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

on 17 February 2021, in Ciudad Obregon, Mexico.

Awards and recognition

In 2022, Sanjay Rajaram received

from

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

; the award is the third-highest award that a civilian can receive.

Authored works

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* :* Cited at

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajaram, Sanjaya 1943 births 2021 deaths Indian emigrants to Mexico Indian agriculturalists Mexican people of Indian descent Mexican scientists People from Varanasi district Naturalized citizens of Mexico Fellows of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences Recipients of the Padma Shri in science & engineering Recipients of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Agriculture and food award winners Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in science & engineering Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico 20th-century agronomists 21st-century agronomists Agronomists