Moti Lal Madan

Moti Lal Madan is an animal scientist and biotechnologist, often called the father of animal reproductive biotechnology in India. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2022 in the field of science and engineering, from Haryana ^[1].

From Srinagar to Missouri

Madan was born in Srinagar on 1 January 1939 and went to school there ^[2]. He took his BSc and MSc at Punjab University, winning gold medals at both, and did his doctorate at the University of Missouri in the United States ^[2].

Firsts in the laboratory

At the National Dairy Research Institute he laid the groundwork for research on animal reproduction in India and pioneered embryo transfer technology, producing a record ten calves from a single high-yielding cow in a year ^[2]. His team produced Pratham, the world’s first buffalo calf born through in vitro fertilisation, and the first cloned buffalo embryo, laying the base for buffalo cloning in India ^[2]. Embryo transfer and IVF have since been taken up in the field, including under the government’s Rashtriya Gokul Mission, and he has advised developing countries through the UN ^[2].

Universities and a park

He has been vice-chancellor of the veterinary university at Mathura and the agricultural university at Akola, and developed a biodiversity park at Nagpur ^[2]. He is a fellow of five national science academies, and his awards include the Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award and the B. P. Pal Award ^[2].