Verghese Kurien was a social entrepreneur who helped set the groundwork for grassroots development. He is best recognized as the visionary who architected India’s White Revolution. He thought that the actual growth of a nation was only possible if the task of creating democratic businesses was delegated to the farmers at the grassroots level. Growing up as the son of a civil surgeon, Verghese had absolutely no interest in dairy farming. In reality, he was averse to milk and milk products! How he eventually became the Father of the White Revolution was nothing more than a stroke of luck that led him to his life’s work. As one of the leading proponents of the cooperative movement, he directed Operation Flood, which transformed India from a milk-deficient nation into the world’s greatest milk producer. Under his capable leadership and management, around thirty cooperative institutions, including AMUL, IRMA, and NDDB, flourished. Among the circumstances that contributed to his selection as the founding chairman of the National Dairy Development Board was his assistance to AMUL in pioneering the production of milk powder from buffalo milk (NDDB).
Youth and Early Life
In Cochin, Kerala, he was born as the son of a civil surgeon. Despite being born into a Christian home, he eventually became an agnostic.
In 1940, he graduated from Loyola College with a degree in physics before enrolling in the College of Engineering in Guindy, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.
He continued his education by enrolling at the Tata Steel Technical Institute in Jamshedpur before receiving a Government Scholarship to attend Michigan State University in the United States. In 1948, he got a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
Verghese Krien’s Career
On his return from the United States in 1949, the Government of India assigned him to a creamery in Anand, Gujarat, where he was to serve as an officer of the Dairy division for five years. He had no interest in dairy but was required to work in the industry in exchange for a government scholarship.
Kurien originally found his job to be dull, but he was captivated by the exploitation of milk distributors and farmers by shrewd and wealthy merchants.
One individual, Tribhuvandas Patel, was attempting to gather farmers in order to build a cooperative movement and fight against exploitation. This man inspired Kurien so much that he decided to join him.
Patel was successful in creating the cooperative Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Limited (KDCMPUL), but Polson Dairy exerted enormous pressure. Kurien was determined to support Patel’s efforts.
The Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Limited (KDCMPUL) was founded in 1946 and quickly became known as ‘Amul Dairy,’ which played a crucial role in India’s White Revolution.
Amul played a crucial part in ushering in India’s White Revolution, which helped transform India, a previously milk-deficient nation, into one of the world’s top milk producers.
H.M.Dalaya, a dairy expert and friend of Kurien, created a process for producing milk powder and condensed milk from buffalo milk. It transformed the Indian dairy business, as previously such processed products could only be created from cow’s milk.
The Amul Dairy was so successful that its model was quickly emulated in numerous Gujarati areas.
In 1965, then-Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri established the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to spread the cooperative program to other corners of the country as a result of Kurien’s trailblazing work at Amul. Kurien was appointed as the organization’s chairman.
The Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (GCMMF) was established in 1973 to improve the management of the cooperative body.
In 1979, he helped establish the Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA), which was founded on the principle that professional management is the only means of achieving effective rural development.
His Major Opera
Verghese Kurien is the man responsible for the development of the Amul Dairy milk cooperative, which not only sparked India’s White Revolution, but also grew to become one of the country’s largest and most trusted food brands and extended into international markets.
Awards & Achievements
Kurien was a lifelong student who thought that education is a process that never ends. Numerous prestigious schools, including Michigan State University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, awarded him honorary degrees.
Several renowned honors were bestowed upon him for his tireless commitment to the dairy and farming industries. The Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri (1965), Padma Bhushan (1966), and Padma Vibhushan (1999) in addition to the Ramon Magsaysay Award (1963) and the World Food Prize (1963). (1989).
Personal History and Legacy
Together with his wife, Molly, he has one daughter, Nirmala. He was the grandfather of Siddharth, the son of Nirmala.
Following a brief illness, he passed away in 2012 at the age of 90 after a long and fruitful life.
Estimated Net Worth
Unknown.
Trivia
This notable individual, known as the Father of the White Revolution, never drank milk!