Verghese Kurien (1921-2012)

 Verghese Kurien (1921-2012) was an Indian

engineer and social entrepreneur who is widely recognized as the father of the White Revolution in India. He revolutionized the dairy industry in India and created the Amul brand, which became a household name in the country. His contributions to the dairy sector not only made India self-sufficient in milk production but also brought about a socio-economic change in the lives of millions of farmers.

Early Life and Education:

Verghese Kurien was born on November 26, 1921, in Kozhikode, Kerala, to a Syrian Christian family. His father was a civil surgeon in the British Indian Army, and his mother was a homemaker. After completing his schooling in Kozhikode, Kurien pursued a degree in mechanical engineering from the College of Engineering, Guindy, Chennai. Later, he completed a postgraduate degree in engineering from the University of Michigan, USA.

Career:

After completing his studies in the US, Kurien returned to India and started his career as a dairy engineer with the government of India's dairy department. In 1949, he was sent to Anand, a small town in Gujarat, to help set up a dairy processing plant. At that time, the dairy farmers in Anand were being exploited by middlemen who paid them a pittance for their milk. Kurien saw the opportunity to help these farmers by creating a cooperative movement that would help them get a fair price for their milk.

In 1949, Kurien was appointed as the general manager of the Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union (KDCMPUL), which was later renamed as Amul. He started working closely with the farmers to increase milk production and improve the quality of milk. He also helped set up milk processing plants and introduced new technologies to increase efficiency. Under his leadership, Amul became the largest milk cooperative in the world, with over 3.6 million milk producers as its members.

In 1965, Kurien was appointed as the chairman of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), which was set up by the Indian government to replicate the Amul model across the country. He played a key role in the success of the Operation Flood program, which aimed to make India self-sufficient in milk production. The program helped increase milk production in India from 22 million tonnes in 1970 to 146 million tonnes in 2014, making India the world's largest milk producer.

Kurien also played a crucial role in setting up other dairy cooperatives in India, such as the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which markets the Amul brand. He also helped set up the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA), which trains rural managers to work in the cooperatives sector.

Awards and Recognitions:

Kurien's contributions to the dairy industry and rural development have been widely recognized. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1965, the Padma Bhushan in 1966, and the Padma Vibhushan in 1999, which are among the highest civilian awards in India. He was also awarded the World Food Prize in 1989 and the Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 1963.

Legacy:

Kurien's legacy lives on in the Amul brand, which is now a household name in India. His cooperative model has been replicated in other sectors, such as fisheries, sugar, and handloom. He was also a strong advocate for farmers' rights and believed that they should be empowered to control their own destinies. His work has inspired generations of social entrepreneurs in India and around the world.

Verghese Kurien passed away on September 9, 2012