The Milkman and his Journey towards the Milky way!!

Today’s generation is mostly clueless about the contribution of Dr. Verghese Kurien. There was a time when urban population ran from pillar to post to get their daily quota of milk and in rural India the excessive milk used to thrown out like water. The poverty ridden villagers without any source or clue they had no other options to choose from. Things changed when a young man with a Metallurgical  Engineering degree from Michigan University brought a revolution was know as ‘White Revolution’. Here is the story of the man who helped the rural India prosper and is know as

Verghese Kurien

Verghese Kurien was born on 26 November 1921 in Calicut, Madras Presidency, British India. His father was a civil surgeon in Cochin. He graduated in Physics from Loyola College, Madras in 1940 and then obtained his Bachelors in mechanical engineering from the University of Madras. After completing his degree, he joined the Tata Steel Technical Institute, Jamshedpur from where he graduated in 1946. He then went to the United States on a government scholarship to earn his Master of Science in metallurgical engineering from Michigan State University.

Kurien arrived on 13 May 1949 on a Government of India deputation at the Government Research Creamery, Anand. Since then he built the dairy development cooperative model into one of the largest and most successful institutions in India. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru visited Anand to inaugurate Amul "factory" and he embraced Kurien for his groundbreaking work. The Amul pattern of cooperatives became so successful, that in 1965 Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, created the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to replicate the program on a nationwide basis citing Kurien's "extraordinary and dynamic leadership" upon naming him chairman.

Kurien and his team were pioneers in inventing the process of making milk powder and condensed milk from buffalo's milk instead of cow's milk. This was the reason Amul became so successful and competed well against Nestle who only used cow milk to make powder and condensed milk. In India, buffalo milk is the main raw material unlike Europe where cow milk is abundant.

He is one of the greatest proponents of cooperative movement in the world. His work has alleviated millions out of poverty not only in India but also outside India. NDDB is an exception as it is a govt organisation but set up to replicate success of Dr. Vergese Kurien across India which is called "Anand model".

Film ‘Manthan’ by Shyam Benegal was inspired by on his life

Some major Awards and Recognition

Award	Organization
Life Time Achievement Award	CNN-IBN
Godfrey Phillips National Bravery Award	Godfrey Phillips India Ltd
Padma Vibhushan	Government of India
World Food Prize	World Food Prize USA
Wateler Peace Prize Award	Carnegie Foundation, USA
Krushi Ratna Award	Government of India.
Padma Bhushan	Government of India.
Padma Shri	Government of India.
Ramon Magsaysay Award	Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation.

!!!The Great Indian Milkman  and The Father of white revolution -  Dr. Verghese Kurien- R.I.P. !!!