Dr Verghese Kurien Image

Verghese Kurien, born on 26 November 1921 in Kozhikode, Kerala, graduated in Science from Loyola College and obtained a degree in mechanical engineering from the College of Engineering, Guindy. Initially, he worked at TISCO in Jamshedpur under family pressure. Despite his lack of interest, he accepted a government scholarship to study Dairy Engineering and later went to the United States, where he studied metallurgy and nuclear physics with Dairy Engineering as a minor subject at Michigan State University.

Upon returning to India, Kurien was assigned to a Government Creamery in Anand, Gujarat. Planning to leave midway, he was persuaded by Tribhuvandas Patel to stay and help with his cooperative dairy. This decision marked the beginning of India’s White Revolution, transforming the nation into the largest milk producer globally. Kurien established the Kaira District Cooperative Milk Union, which became Amul Dairy. With his friend H M Dalaya, Kurien innovated the process of making skim milk powder from buffalo milk, ensuring efficient milk distribution across India.

Impressed by Amul’s success, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri tasked Kurien with replicating the model nationwide, leading to the foundation of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in 1965. The Anand model expanded across Gujarat under the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (GCMMF), selling products under the Amul brand. Operation Flood, initiated by Kurien, aimed to create more cooperatives based on the Anand pattern across India, transforming the country from milk-deficient to milk-surplus.

In 1979, Kurien founded the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) to train managers for cooperatives. He also helped establish similar cooperatives in countries like the Soviet Union, Pakistan, China, and Sri Lanka. Kurien received numerous honors, including the Padma Vibhushan in 1999.

Trivia : Since 2014, Kurien’s birthday has been celebrated as National Milk Day.

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