C. Subramaniam, Indian politician (born Jan. 30, 1910, Pollachi, near Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, was commonly referred to as the “Father of the Green Revolution” after he introduced a new variety of wheat seed that transformed Indian agriculture and helped the country achieve self-sufficiency in grain production. Subramaniam received a degree in physics from Presidency College, University of Madras, and a law degree from Madras Law College. In the early 1940s he was imprisoned by the British authorities, and after India gained independence (1947) he was a member of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the Indian constitution. Subramaniam was elected to the Lok Sabha (lower house of parliament), held various ministerial offices in Madras state and in the national cabinet, served (1990–93) as governor of Maharashtra state, and published a multivolume autobiography, Hand of Destiny (1993). In 1998 he was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour.