‘Annadaata’ is a food provider who provides the starved with food and grants them life. So it won’t be wrong to call Norman Borlaug India’s annadata as he's fed millions and brought a Green Revolution about in the country when it was caught in the webs of famine and food-shortages.

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The frail man landed in India with a plan that would boost the country’s wheat and rice production. Borlaug introduced the 'semi-dwarf' plant variety, which was a compact crop that supported a massive head of grain without falling over from the weight. This technique filled food sacks to the brim and solved India’s production problem. The heavy imports stopped, and in fact, the exports began, increasing India’s GDP.

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Born in Iowa, Norman aspired to become a high school science teacher. He went on to become one of only six people in history to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal, and the Nobel Peace Prize. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award.

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Had it not been for Borlough, millions would have starved. During a speech, Borlough recalled how terrible the food situation in India was during the early 60s. “In Bombay during those terrible days I saw miserable homeless kids clustered around hotels, pleading not for money but for scraps of bread. Each morning trucks circled the streets, picking up corpses,” he reminisced.

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The sound of wheat heads swaying in the field was Borlough’s favourite sound. And, he left the world giving it just that!