Page 8 - NIS English, 16-30 November,2022

Personality Dr Verghese Kurien

FATHER OF THE

WHITE REVOLUTION

Born: 26 November 1921; Died: 9 September 2012

In this period of Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal, when the
country is moving towards fulfilling its resolve of a
developed India by promoting self-reliance, then it
is also an appropriate occasion to pay homage to
the great personalities who helped India to strive for
self-reliance at a time when a newly independent
India was trying to make efforts for a giant stride
for fast progress. One such personality is Verghese
Kurien, who envisioned the White Revolution at a
time when the country could not be self-sufficient in
milk production. India, which was once dependent on
other countries for its milk requirements, is today the
world's largest milk-producing country. This has been
made possible because of the thinking of Verghese
Kurien, who first made the farmers of Kheda, a small
district of Gujarat, self-supporting and then presented
to the world the best model of a cooperative
organisation like Amul.

hen you are holding a cup of tea in your hands region. Kheda and Anand were then part of the Kaira
in the morning or consuming a glass of milk at district of Gujarat. The company would buy milk at
Wnight, then you are in a way contributing to the arbitrary prices and impoverished farmers will benefit
biggest movement of Indian self-reliance. It is because nothing from it. Sardar Patel advised the farmers to
of the success of this cooperative model that India is the form a cooperative society and take permission from
world's largest milk producer with a share of 21 percent the British government to set up a Pasteur plant. He told
in the global milk market. them that if permission is not given, do not sell even a
The brains behind the success of the white revolution drop of milk. The government had to bow down and thus
are Verghese Kurien and Tribhuvan Das. the Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers Union
Born on 26 November 1921 in Kozhikode, Kerala to was born. Tribhuvandas Patel was appointed its first
a civil surgeon, Verghese Kurien earned a BE degree in president and the business started from two villages
Mechanical Engineering from the University of Madras. and an average of 250 liters of milk per day.
After which, he went to the University of Michigan, USA, This committee was in its infancy when Dr. Verghese
to do his post-graduation on a government scholarship. Kurien, who had returned from America after completing
According to the terms of the scholarship, he was his education was assigned to a Government Creamery
required to work in a government institution for at least located at Anand in Gujarat to serve his bond period.
3 years on his return to the country. Dairy engineering Kurien came in touch with Tribhuvan Das. After several
was also a subject in his mechanical engineering. At meetings, they got to know each other well. Kurien
the same time, just before independence, in 1946, milk- continued to help him in many cooperative dairy
producing farmers in Kheda, Gujarat were agitating matters. Kurien who was not feeling very comfortable
against the British government on the advice of Sardar at this place requested the government several times to
Vallabhbhai Patel. In those days there was a company give him a posting in some city.
called Polson that had the authority to buy milk in the By the end of 1949, the government accepted his

6 New India Samachar November 16-30, 2022