10 reasons why Dr Verghese Kurien deserved a Bharat Ratna
10 reasons why Dr Verghese Kurien deserved a Bharat Ratna
On September 9, 2012, Dr. Verghese Kurien passed away at the age of 90. The sad demise one of India’s brilliant visonairies got everyone wondering why he didn’t receive the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award for exemplary service, sooner. In light of this, we decided to list down important reasons why the Milkman of India deserved a Bharat Ratna.
Source: Wikipedia
- Dr. Verghese Kurien left the comforts of his government job to serve a bigger purpose. He joined forces with Tribhuvandas Patel who was trying to unite farmers to form a cooperative that was devoid of any exploitation. He was a true patriot because he put the needs of the people and the nation before his. He played a pivotal role in paving a pathway for India to become a superpower.
- The sole reason we get dairy products from various dairy co-operatives, such as Rajkot District Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union Ltd, Amul, Kutch District Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union Ltd, and many more, right at our doorsteps is because of this man’s initiative to make India self-sufficient in milk production. It was no mean feat for Dr. Verghese Kurien to follow a bottom-to-top approach to amplify dairy production with the sole aim to help farmers lead better lives. Not only did he empower each one of them, but also provided a solution to their poverty-stricken situation by setting up Asia’s largest dairy co-operative with no middlemen involved. His initiative was also instrumental in empowering women by giving them the opportunity to make a livelihood, thereby, paving the way for them to be financially empowered. They were encouraged to participate in the governance of various dairy cooperatives.
- Through his ground-breaking, experiential efforts that kickstarted the White Revolution at scale, he was able to turn India into a country that produces milk rather than being an importer. What’s inspiring is that he made India become the world’s largest producer of milk in the year 1988, surpassing the US. That’s quite an achievement.
Source: The Telegraph
- He gave India prominent dairy brands that sourced products from Amul, Ahmedabad District Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union Ltd., Surat District Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union Ltd., Junagadh District Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union Ltd. etc. Indians very often associate dairy products received from various dairy co-operatives with quality because its been on the market for the past five decades.
- Kurien took steps to expand the Amul brand the right way by hiring DaCunha Communications, one of the well-known ad agencies in the country, to rigorously push its marketing efforts. His strategic vision was translated to the brand when the iconic Amul girl came into existence with her celebrated tagline “Utterly Butterly Delicious”. More than anything else, when we now look at the Amul girl, we feel like home.
- Amul will always remain a part of every Indian home because of the heavy history involved in it. While Kurien is known for spearheading the White Revolution, it took the involvement of million farmers to make it successful.
Source: Amul.coop
- Under his leadership, pioneering institutions were established such as the GCMMF (Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd) and NDDB (National Dairy Development board that helped shape Operation Flood. In fact, these institutions were responsible for expanding the Anand model of dairy production all over the country in an organized manner.
- The 1976 film Manthan, which bagged two National Awards and was India’s submission in the 1976 Academy Awards, was scripted by Kurien and with Vijay Tendulkar. In fact, what’s remarkable is that the movie was funded by 500,000 farmers who donated INR 2 each. The movie tells the story of the White Revolution and the power of collectivisation that began due to the Kurien’s efforts. It was created by the people for the people.
Source: Wikipedia
- Kurien is a recipient of many prestigious awards like Ramon Magsaysay Award, World Food Prize, Economic Times award for Corporate Excellence, Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan. He has received 15 honorary degrees from various institutions around the world. Undoubtedly, we would question why he didn’t receive the Bharat Ratna when it was because of him, India became prosperous.
- Currently around 16 million farmers in 1.86 lakh dairy co-operative societies across 28 states own around 50 million litres of milk per day, thanks to Dr Verghese Kurien.