Verghese Kurien

Best known as the visionary who architected India’s White Revolution, Verghese Kurien was a social entrepreneur who helped to lay the foundation of development from the grassroots. He believed that the true development of a nation was possible only if the farmers at the grass roots were entrusted with the responsibility of organizing democratic enterprises. Growing up as the son of a civil surgeon, young Verghese had no interest whatsoever in dairy production. In fact he was not even fond of milk or milk products! How he ultimately became the Father of White Revolution was nothing but a quirk of fate which steered him towards what would become his life’s calling. One of the major proponents of the cooperative movement, he led the Operation Flood which made India, a previously milk-deficient nation the largest milk producer in the world. Under his able direction and guidance, around 30 cooperative institutions like AMUL, IRMA, and NDDB thrived. He helped AMUL in pioneering the process of producing milk powder from buffalo milk which was one of the factors that led to his appointment as the founder-chairman of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB)

Major Works:
Verghese Kurien is the man behind the success of the milk cooperative, Amul Dairy, which not only spurred India’s White Revolution, but also became one of the country’s largest and most trusted food brands which also expanded into overseas markets.

Awards & Achievements:

• Kurien was a life-long learner who believed that education is a never ending process. He had been bestowed with honorary degrees from many prominent institutions including Michigan State University and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
• He was honored with several prestigious awards for his relentless services to the dairy and farming communities. Some of his awards include: Padma Shri (1965), Padma Bhushan (1966) and Padma Vibhushan (1999) by the Government of India, the Ramon Magsaysay Award (1963), and World Food Prize (1989).