Eminent scientists gathered in Chennai to celebrate the 80th birthday of agricultural scientist Professor M.S. Swaminathan. In honor of the occasion, the Swaminathan Research Foundation hosted an international conference on Human Centered Sustainable Development Paradigm. As a lead speaker at the conference, Ismail Serageldin started-off with a walk down memory lane, where he recalled his earlier association with Professor Swaminathan. At a session titled science and technology for improving human lives, Serageldin joined Dr. C.N.R. Rao, Dr. M.K. Bhan, Dr. R. Chidambaram and Dr. Deepak Bastia and gave a presentation on global agriculture. He argued that the pressing needs of the currently hungry and the generations to come can only be met by restructuring global agriculture, harnessing S&T and removing the impediments to a fair and equitable partnership between the rich and the poor.