Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 29 Dec: After nearly three decades of dedicated service at the ICAR–Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation (ICAR-IISWC), Dehradun, Dr M Muruganandam, Principal Scientist and Officer-in-Charge (PME & KM Unit), is taking up a new assignment as Head, Fisheries Science Division at the ICAR–Central Island Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-CIARI), Port Blair, on 31 December 2025. The transition marks a significant professional and personal journey – from the Himalayan landscapes of Uttarakhand to the island ecosystems of the Bay of Bengal – driven by a sustained commitment to science-led development and service to vulnerable communities and ecosystems.
Dr Muruganandam joined ICAR-IISWC in 1996 as a young scientist. Reflecting on his journey, he says, “What began as a professional journey gradually became a deeply personal, people-centric scientific calling – one that shaped my thinking, values, worldview, and purpose in life.” Over the years, ICAR-IISWC and Dehradun became not merely a workplace, but a space of learning, service, reflection, and human connection, shaping his professional trajectory and sense of purpose. His nearly 30-year association with the Institute and Uttarakhand stands as a testament to sustained engagement with farmers, institutions, ecosystems, and society at large.
During his tenure, Dr Muruganandam contributed significantly to the development and refinement of more than ten fisheries – and livestock-based production technologies and livelihood models, including improved fish farming in rainfed ponds, integrated farming systems, rural poultry rearing, livestock management, and community-based resource conservation approaches. His work was deeply informed by close interactions with farming and fishing communities and emphasised the appreciation, documentation, and scientific validation of traditional and indigenous knowledge systems.
His contributions generated large-scale awareness – reaching over one million stakeholders in Uttarakhand and beyond – on the role of indigenous wisdom in traditional farming and fishing practices, riverine resource management, and community-based fishing festivals (mound), particularly in the Himalayan region. His work sensitised communities and government agencies to biodiversity conservation, river governance, and ecosystem stewardship, fostering a renewed sense of ownership over natural resources.
Between 2016 and 2018, as a Visiting Scientist at South Dakota State University (USA), Dr Muruganandam undertook advanced geospatial research on land-use and land-cover change impacts on wetlands and water quality in the Mid-Western United States, adding an international dimension to his scientific experience and reinforcing the value of cross-regional learning.
His areas of engagement spanned soil and water conservation, watershed management, rehabilitation of polluted environments, fisheries production, river and wetland conservation, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem resilience, livestock production, rural poultry farming, and integrated farming systems – particularly across Uttarakhand and the north-western Himalayan region. He is also credited as the founding scientist who integrated fisheries, aquaculture, and livestock-based micro-enterprises within watershed management, and who established watershed-based fisheries research, training, and demonstration facilities at ICAR-IISWC, giving national visibility to fisheries within soil and water conservation frameworks and watershed management perspectives.
Through participatory interventions and improved fish farming, rural poultry rearing and livestock-based livelihood options, he contributed innovatively to food, nutrition, and livelihood security of tribal communities, resource-poor households, women farmers, weaker sections, and landless families, while advancing ecological sustainability. These alternate farming systems proved resilient and sustainable, as reflected in improved livelihoods, nutrition outcomes, and beneficiary feedback – even during the COVID-19 pandemic and under changing climatic conditions.
Beyond research, Dr Muruganandam played a pivotal role in leadership and institution-building. He served in multiple capacities, including Scientist, Extension Professional, Vigilance Officer, Enquiry Officer, Member of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC), Liaison Officer for weaker sections, Nodal Officer for Press and Media, Chairman for digital outreach and website upgradation, and Officer-in-Charge of the PME & Knowledge Management Unit. He also strengthened collaborations with universities, NGOs, start-ups, and government agencies, mobilising resources and facilitating community institutions such as Focus Groups, SHGs and FPOs. With these responsibilities he had four portfolios at ICAR-IISWC: research coordination & prioritisation, outreach, knowledge management & science communication, conflict resolution & organisational stewardship and core research on prioritised areas of NRM. His contribution traversed to leadership and institution building through vigilance and good governance, science-society interface, culture and traditions, community engagement and mobilisation, research communication, and intellectual property rights.
Dr Muruganandam coordinated around 25 national and international conferences, seminars, and consultations, participated in over 100 scientific forums, and received more than 30 fellowships, awards, and grants, including the Fulbright Fellowship. He has over 100 scientific publications, six copyrighted software and knowledge products, and has served as editor, reviewer, mentor, and expert for several national and state bodies besides academia, policy platforms and scientific publishing houses.
He has networked with many State Line Departments, national/ and international research and developmental institutions, academia, print- and online-media-houses and NGOs besides over 30 professional societies & 10,000 farmers-fishermen and communities. He was also privileged to travel extensively, including 15 US Universities/Institutions and 25 US-States and 30 Indian States, experiences that broadened his perspective and reinforced his belief that science guided by empathy, ethics, and humility can transform lives. A passionate researcher who nucleates research ideas, team building, and inspires budding researchers, agri-entrepreneurs and farmers besides socialising S&T.
His extensive engagement – with scientists, executives, international civil servants, professors, students, farmers, academia, media, and civil society – took him far beyond laboratories and offices into villages, watersheds, classrooms, policy forums, and international platforms. Colleagues consistently note that supporting farmers, fellow scientists, students, institutions, and government agencies remained central to his work.
Expressing gratitude, Dr Muruganandam acknowledged the farmers, scientific fraternity, and around 50 academia, regional & state agencies, and the responsive press and media of Uttarakhand for their trust and cooperation. While his early career involved challenges and uncertainty, time brought clarity, confidence, and a deeper sense of purpose, with his role evolving into mentoring, mediation, coordination, and quiet social service – often demanding time, patience, and emotional energy, yet deeply fulfilling.
At ICAR-CIARI, Port Blair, he will focus on coastal and island farming systems, marine fisheries development, selected freshwater ecosystem studies, and biodiversity conservation in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and the Bay of Bengal region. He notes that while the move brings both opportunities and limitations, the opportunity to serve core disciplines and disadvantaged island communities ultimately guided his decision.
“Moving from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal is not merely a change of geography, but a continuation of purpose,” Dr Muruganandam said. “ICAR-IISWC and the people of Uttarakhand have shaped who I am – personally and professionally. I carry that legacy with gratitude as I begin this new chapter.”
With thanks to ICAR-IISWC, Dehradun, and the people of Uttarakhand, this transition marks not an end, but the continuation of a lifelong commitment to science, society, and the nation -bridging the Himalayas and the Bay of Bengal through knowledge, empathy, and shared responsibility.
As he moves onward, colleagues, professors, students, friends, farmers, academia, and the media bid Dr Muruganandam farewell with heavy hearts and warm hopes – knowing that while institutions may change, relationships and shared purpose endure.
