We are all familiar with the Amul baby because she is healthy, positive and vibrant. But the man who made Amul a brand was someone else. His name is Dr Verghese Kurian. He is credited with bringing about the white revolution in India. He helped the country become the largest producer of milk in the World.
Let’s see the history of this extraordinary man. He was highly educated having received the Masters in Science degree from the Michigan University in US. He had gone there at the expense of the government. So after return he was deputed in a governmental creamery at Anand in Gujarat. Initially, he was not interested in the work of milk processing. But due to the help from the political class, he accepted the challenge of making India a hub of milk and milk based products. The work undertaken by Dr. Kurien required great amount of vision and planning. He brought the milk producers of Anand under one umbrella and later extended this set up to other parts of Gujarat. He later expanded the reach of Amul to the whole country. The next step was to take this Indian brand beyond the borders of India. Today Amul is the largest exporter of milk based products.
Dr Kurien proved that a cooperative set up like Amul can function like an organized industry. He brought the professionalism and efficiency to the work of cooperative movement. He proved that even the milk producers in the rural areas can have the business acumen despite not having the formal management degree. During his illustrious career spanning several decades, he founded the prestigious organizations like GCMMF, NDDB, IRMA to name a few. Though he is not physical there anymore, but the revolution created by him will always remain the taste of India.