Born in Gwalior, India on 24 November 1936. Educated at Janakganj Middle School, Gwalior, 1944-49; V.C.High School, Gwalior, 1949-51; College of Agriculture, Gwalior, 1951-55; College of Agriculture, Kanpur, 1955-57; University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA, 1957-60; B.Sc (Ag.), 1955; M.Sc (Ag.), 1957; Ph.D. 1960. 

Chairman, Asian Agri-History Foundation, Secunderabad, 1997 to date. Published in English 8 ancient agricultural classics and publishing a quarterly journal, Asian Agri-History since 1997. 

Professor & Head of Plant Pathology, GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUA&T), Pantnagar, 1960-74; Principal Plant Pathologist (Pulses), International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad, 1974-80; Leader (Pulses) ICRISAT, 1980-86; Director (Legumes), ICRISAT, 1986-89; Deputy Director General, ICRISAT, 1989-96. 

Awarded: International Rice Year, 1966, Prize (FAO), 1967; D.Sc. (h.c.), GBPUA&T, 1991; O.P.Bhasin Award, 1991; Gold Medal, Indian Society of Pulses Research and Development, 2001. Lifetime achievement awards by several organizations. 

Fellow: American Phytopathological Society; Indian Phytopathological Society; Indian Virological Society; Indian Society of Mycology and Plant Pathology; Indian Society of Plant Pathologists; National Academy of Agricultural Sciences. 

Research Areas: Plant Pathology; History of Agriculture. Publications: over 480.

Address: Asian Agri-History Foundation - 47, ICRISAT Colony-1 - Brig. Sayeed Road - Secunderabad 500 009 - India. Phone: (+91 40) 2775-5774(O), 2775-6866(H); Fax: (+91 40) 2775-0630; Mobile (0)8099902345 E-mail: yeshwantn2@gmail.com