Guduru Venkatachalam
Encyclopedia
G. V. Chalam' also known as Guduru Venkata Chalam (1909–1967), was an Indian activist and agricultural scientist who received the Padma Shri
in 1967.
, a town in the heart of Andhra Pradesh, India. At the time of his father’s death, G.V. Chalam was only eight years old.He was brought up by his paternal uncle, Guduru Ramachandra Rao – a Gandhian and a pioneer social reformer who convened the first Adi Andhra Mahajana Sabha in 1917 for the emancipation of the so-called ‘untouchable
’ castes, Malas
and Madigas of Andhra Pradesh (now known as Dalit
s).http://www.vakindia.org/archives/Vikalp-Aug2005.pdf
G V Chalam had his early education in Gudivada and Rajamundry and later continued his
undergraduate studies P.R. Raja College in Kakinada
.
(BHU) and was awarded a first class master’s degree in botany. Following a short stint at the newly formed Indian Agricultural Research Institute
(IARI), Chalam joined the Agriculture Department, Orissa Government as a Research Assistant in the Central Rice Research Institute
, Cuttack. As a Research Assistant, Chalam carried out special work on the taxonomy of the rice and obtained his doctorate from the Patna University in 1943 (the first PhD degree on Anatomy of Rice in Agricultural Botany in the states of Bihar and Orissa). As a rice researcher, Chalam was responsible for evolving a number of important varieties of rice which became a household name in Orissa, like T-1145, T-141 and T-1242. He evolved a saline resistant variety of rice, SR 26B which now occupies the entire East Coast and parts of West Coast of India, Ceylon and some South-East Asian Countries.
In his capacity as Assistant Director of Director of Agriculture for Land Reclamation and Seed Multiplication, he established two very large sized farms after reclaiming the forest areas. The two farms are now known as the Sukinda farm and Deras farm contributed nearly 50 percent of the total seed production in Orissa in 1967. In 1954, as the Paddy Specialist of Orissa Government, Chalam participated in Food and Agriculture Organization
Hybridization Scheme and commenced research work of the Japonica Indica hybrids. As a result of his untiring efforts, several promising hybrids came into being and a comprehensive monograph called ‘Rice in Orissa’ was published by the Orissa
Government which was presented to the International Rice Commission. At a time when the raising of a second crop was unknown to the farmers, through his inventiveness, Chalam introduced several new crop varieties and popularized the raising of second crop in the command area of the newly created Hirakud Dam
.
After the expiry of his term as the General Manager of the National Seeds Corporation, Chalam was appointed to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research
(ICAR) in 1964. On his way back from attending an International Seed Testing Seminar in New Zealand, Chalam visited the International Rice Research Institute
at Manila
of his own initiative and expense and selected the Taichung Native-I (TN-1) http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=0odDhoWN7DIC&pg=PA179&lpg=PA179&dq=taichung+native+1&source=bl&ots=kg3RdNlMs7&sig=vVuf39--LBVauzFuBPTjXoAXgbc&hl=en&ei=EEC0S-r1LqD40wTtzNwv&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CCQQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=taichung%20native%201&f=false as one of the most promising Indica varieties that could thrive in India. Chalam could get only one kilogram of seed of this variety and with the approval of the of the ICAR, he carried out trials at four places which gave outstanding results beyond all expectations.http://www.irri.org/publications/chandler/pdfs/chap4a.pdf This brought new vistas in rice production in India. Despite criticism by many Indian agricultural scientists and scepticism of United Nations agencies and the World Bank officials regarding the characteristics of the variety and the ability of the Indian farmers to embrace new cultivation techniques, Chalam was undeterred and carried out trials of TN-1 in many small farms, mainly in the states of Orissa
, Andhra Pradesh
, West Bengal
, Western Uttar Pradesh
, Haryana
and Punjab
.
TN-1 proved to be an outstanding variety. At a time, when yields of 6000 to 7000 lb (3,175.1 kg). per acre were a rare occurrence, with TN-1 it became a common occurrence in India. As one who introduced this high yielding variety in the country, Chalam successfully sponsored the release of TN-1 before the statutory Central Variety Release Committee in January 1966. Later he carried on an intensive seed production programme of TN-I in about 11000 acres (44.5 km²) in the second crop season of 1965-68 and made it possible to supply the seed for planting one million acres (4,000 km²) for ‘Kharif’ (crop season during June–December) in 1966. Thus, beginning with one kilogram of seed of TN-I, Chalam built up a huge stock of certified seed for one million acres (4,000 km²) which, even though considered as an impossible venture at one time, had become a practical achievement.
Unfortunately 1965 was the year when India was affected by very severe drought conditions. Large-scale food shortages were imminent. Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri
coined the slogan Jai Jawan Jai Kisan
to encourage the farmers to produce more and at the same time called upon the countrymen to miss one meal very week to conserve the dwindling food supplies.
At a time when there was widespread despair amongst the farming community, Chalam persuaded the farmers to cultivate drought resistant TN-1 and staved off what certainly would have been another catastrophic famine in India.
Dr. Chalam rejoined the National Seeds Corporation as its Managing Director. Although Chalam became well known for the propagation of TN-1 rice, Chalam also played a key role in facilitating the introduction and popularization of high yielding ‘Mexican’ dwarf wheat varieties and hybrid maize and groundnut varieties into India. During his stewardship, the National Seeds Corporation of India became a model public sector undertaking both for achieving financial results and for achievement of long-term social objectives.
In recognition of this enduring contribution to agricultural development of the country, Dr Chalam was awarded Padma Shri
in April 1967 by the Government of India.
Unfortunately a month later, on 8 May 1967, Dr G V Chalam suddenly died following a heart attack leaving behind a wife and eight children.
The Government of India released a commemorative stamp on 8 May 2010.
, English and Oriya
. During his imprisonment as a student, Chalam wrote a collection of highly perceptive short stories about life in prison. Some of these stories were later published in the contemporary leading Telugu magazine, Krishna Patrika. Despite not being a main stream academic for much of his professional life, Chalam was the author of 40 scientific papers and several popular science articles. He was awarded Kavikokila prize for extending scientific agriculture to the farmers through his popular book on rice cultivation, VARI SAGU ‘ a book much appreciated by the farmers in Andhra Pradesh. Characteristically, Chalam gave away this prize money to the National Defence Fund at the time of Indo-Pakistan war in 1965
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
in 1967.
Early years
Guduru Venkatachalam (a.k.a. G.V. Chalam) was born to an affluent family in 1909 in GudivadaGudivada
Gudivada is a census town in Krishna district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a mandal headquarters with more than 100,000 inhabitants, lying as junction of Vijayawada-Machilipatnam-Bhimavaram-Nuzvid-Eluru in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh of...
, a town in the heart of Andhra Pradesh, India. At the time of his father’s death, G.V. Chalam was only eight years old.He was brought up by his paternal uncle, Guduru Ramachandra Rao – a Gandhian and a pioneer social reformer who convened the first Adi Andhra Mahajana Sabha in 1917 for the emancipation of the so-called ‘untouchable
Dalit
Dalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as Untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions...
’ castes, Malas
Malas
Malas may refer to:* Malas -- the waste products of the body in Ayurveda* Mala * malas are, in Indian religions, the three bondages which limit the soul in earthly incarnation...
and Madigas of Andhra Pradesh (now known as Dalit
Dalit
Dalit is a designation for a group of people traditionally regarded as Untouchable. Dalits are a mixed population, consisting of numerous castes from all over South Asia; they speak a variety of languages and practice a multitude of religions...
s).http://www.vakindia.org/archives/Vikalp-Aug2005.pdf
G V Chalam had his early education in Gudivada and Rajamundry and later continued his
undergraduate studies P.R. Raja College in Kakinada
Kakinada
Kakinada is a city and a municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located east of the state capital, Hyderabad. It is also the headquarters of East Godavari district. It is nicknamed "Fertilizer City" , "Pensioner's Paradise" and "Second Madras"...
.
A social reformer
Inspired by his uncle, G V Chalam soon became involved in contemporary social reforms and became a leading member of a Society (known as Sodara ‘Samajam’) which had as its goal the establishment of an egalitarian society transcending caste, creed, and religion.A Freedom Fighter
G.V. Chalam was fired by patriotic zeal and threw himsef into national struggle for freedom from British colonial rule. As a graduate student, Chalam was caught distributing sedetious ‘anti British’ literature by the police and was imprisoned for 14 months in the Vellore jail in Tamil Nadu, India.A Rice breeder and Scientist
Despite this setback (due to imprisonment) to his studies, Chalam continued his postgraduate education at the Banaras Hindu UniversityBanaras Hindu University
Banaras Hindu University is a public university located in Varanasi, India and is one of the Central Universities of India. It is the largest residential university in Asia, with over 24,000 students in its campus. BHU was founded in 1916 by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya under the Parliamentary...
(BHU) and was awarded a first class master’s degree in botany. Following a short stint at the newly formed Indian Agricultural Research Institute
Indian Agricultural Research Institute
The Indian Agricultural Research Institute is India's premier national Institute for agricultural research, education and extension. It has served the cause of science and society with distinction through first rate research, generation of appropriate technologies and development of human resources...
(IARI), Chalam joined the Agriculture Department, Orissa Government as a Research Assistant in the Central Rice Research Institute
Central Rice Research Institute
The Central Rice Research Institute is situated near Vidyadharpur village on the Cuttack-Paradip Road, Orissa, India...
, Cuttack. As a Research Assistant, Chalam carried out special work on the taxonomy of the rice and obtained his doctorate from the Patna University in 1943 (the first PhD degree on Anatomy of Rice in Agricultural Botany in the states of Bihar and Orissa). As a rice researcher, Chalam was responsible for evolving a number of important varieties of rice which became a household name in Orissa, like T-1145, T-141 and T-1242. He evolved a saline resistant variety of rice, SR 26B which now occupies the entire East Coast and parts of West Coast of India, Ceylon and some South-East Asian Countries.
In his capacity as Assistant Director of Director of Agriculture for Land Reclamation and Seed Multiplication, he established two very large sized farms after reclaiming the forest areas. The two farms are now known as the Sukinda farm and Deras farm contributed nearly 50 percent of the total seed production in Orissa in 1967. In 1954, as the Paddy Specialist of Orissa Government, Chalam participated in Food and Agriculture Organization
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
Hybridization Scheme and commenced research work of the Japonica Indica hybrids. As a result of his untiring efforts, several promising hybrids came into being and a comprehensive monograph called ‘Rice in Orissa’ was published by the Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
Government which was presented to the International Rice Commission. At a time when the raising of a second crop was unknown to the farmers, through his inventiveness, Chalam introduced several new crop varieties and popularized the raising of second crop in the command area of the newly created Hirakud Dam
Hirakud Dam
Hirakud Dam is built across the Mahanadi River, about 15 km from Sambalpur in the state of Orissa in India. Built in 1957, the dam is one of the world's longest earthen dam....
.
Pioneer of the Green Revolution
In November 1960, Chalam was head hunted to join the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in the Union Government as the Deputy Agricultural Commissioner. In this capacity, he organized several seed production and training programmes in the country in collaboration with the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations. Chalam was one of the main draftsmen of the Seed Law for India which came to be known National Seed Act (1966). In 1963, Chalam was appointed as the first General Manager of the National Seeds Corporation and established the first ever chain of Breeder-Foundation—Certified seed farms in India to produce high quality seeds to the farmers. This was the beginning of the certified seed programme which was to play a key role in ushering the Green Revolution in India in the late 60s. Dr. Chalam was the first Member-Secretary of the Central Variety Release Committee which is the forerunner of the Statutory Central Seed Committee.After the expiry of his term as the General Manager of the National Seeds Corporation, Chalam was appointed to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research
Indian Council of Agricultural Research
Indian Council of Agricultural Research , New Delhi, India is an autonomous organisation under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India...
(ICAR) in 1964. On his way back from attending an International Seed Testing Seminar in New Zealand, Chalam visited the International Rice Research Institute
International Rice Research Institute
The International Rice Research Institute is an international NGO. Its headquarters are in Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines, and it has offices in sixteen countries...
at Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
of his own initiative and expense and selected the Taichung Native-I (TN-1) http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=0odDhoWN7DIC&pg=PA179&lpg=PA179&dq=taichung+native+1&source=bl&ots=kg3RdNlMs7&sig=vVuf39--LBVauzFuBPTjXoAXgbc&hl=en&ei=EEC0S-r1LqD40wTtzNwv&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CCQQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=taichung%20native%201&f=false as one of the most promising Indica varieties that could thrive in India. Chalam could get only one kilogram of seed of this variety and with the approval of the of the ICAR, he carried out trials at four places which gave outstanding results beyond all expectations.http://www.irri.org/publications/chandler/pdfs/chap4a.pdf This brought new vistas in rice production in India. Despite criticism by many Indian agricultural scientists and scepticism of United Nations agencies and the World Bank officials regarding the characteristics of the variety and the ability of the Indian farmers to embrace new cultivation techniques, Chalam was undeterred and carried out trials of TN-1 in many small farms, mainly in the states of Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
, Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, Western Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
and Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
.
TN-1 proved to be an outstanding variety. At a time, when yields of 6000 to 7000 lb (3,175.1 kg). per acre were a rare occurrence, with TN-1 it became a common occurrence in India. As one who introduced this high yielding variety in the country, Chalam successfully sponsored the release of TN-1 before the statutory Central Variety Release Committee in January 1966. Later he carried on an intensive seed production programme of TN-I in about 11000 acres (44.5 km²) in the second crop season of 1965-68 and made it possible to supply the seed for planting one million acres (4,000 km²) for ‘Kharif’ (crop season during June–December) in 1966. Thus, beginning with one kilogram of seed of TN-I, Chalam built up a huge stock of certified seed for one million acres (4,000 km²) which, even though considered as an impossible venture at one time, had become a practical achievement.
Unfortunately 1965 was the year when India was affected by very severe drought conditions. Large-scale food shortages were imminent. Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri
Lal Bahadur Shastri
Lal Bahadur Srivastava Shastri was the second Prime Minister of the Republic of India and a significant figure in the Indian independence movement.-Early life:...
coined the slogan Jai Jawan Jai Kisan
Jai Jawan Jai Kisan
Jai Jawan Jai Kisan was a slogan given to India by the Prime Minister of India Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1965. It means hail the soldier and hail the farmer....
to encourage the farmers to produce more and at the same time called upon the countrymen to miss one meal very week to conserve the dwindling food supplies.
At a time when there was widespread despair amongst the farming community, Chalam persuaded the farmers to cultivate drought resistant TN-1 and staved off what certainly would have been another catastrophic famine in India.
Dr. Chalam rejoined the National Seeds Corporation as its Managing Director. Although Chalam became well known for the propagation of TN-1 rice, Chalam also played a key role in facilitating the introduction and popularization of high yielding ‘Mexican’ dwarf wheat varieties and hybrid maize and groundnut varieties into India. During his stewardship, the National Seeds Corporation of India became a model public sector undertaking both for achieving financial results and for achievement of long-term social objectives.
In recognition of this enduring contribution to agricultural development of the country, Dr Chalam was awarded Padma Shri
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
in April 1967 by the Government of India.
Unfortunately a month later, on 8 May 1967, Dr G V Chalam suddenly died following a heart attack leaving behind a wife and eight children.
The Government of India released a commemorative stamp on 8 May 2010.
The writer
Chalam had a flair for writing and was fluent in TeluguTelugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
, English and Oriya
Oriya language
Oriya , officially Odia from November, 2011, is an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. It is mainly spoken in the Indian states of Orissa and West Bengal...
. During his imprisonment as a student, Chalam wrote a collection of highly perceptive short stories about life in prison. Some of these stories were later published in the contemporary leading Telugu magazine, Krishna Patrika. Despite not being a main stream academic for much of his professional life, Chalam was the author of 40 scientific papers and several popular science articles. He was awarded Kavikokila prize for extending scientific agriculture to the farmers through his popular book on rice cultivation, VARI SAGU ‘ a book much appreciated by the farmers in Andhra Pradesh. Characteristically, Chalam gave away this prize money to the National Defence Fund at the time of Indo-Pakistan war in 1965