Verghese Kurien

He lived a long and productive life and died in 2012 at the age of 90 after a brief illness.

He was born as the son of a civil surgeon in Cochin, Kerala. Even though he was born into a Christian family, he became an atheist later in life.

He attended Loyola College and graduated in Physics in 1940 before joining the College of Engineering in Guindy from where he obtained his Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering.

He loved to learn and furthered his education by joining the Tata Steel Technical Institute, Jamshedpur before moving to the U.S to study at the Michigan State University on a Government Scholarship. He earned his Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1948

On his return from the U.S in 1949, the Government of India deputed him to a creamery at Anand, in Gujarat where he was supposed to serve five years as an officer of the Dairy division. He personally had no interest in dairy, but had to perform this job in return for the government scholarship.

Kurien initially found his job very uninspiring but was intrigued by the way the milk distributors and farmers were exploited by the cunning and rich businessmen.

There was one person, Tribhuvandas Patel, who was trying his best to unite the farmers in order to form a cooperative movement and fight against the exploitation. Kurien was greatly inspired by this man and decided to join him.

Patel succeeded in forming a cooperative Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Limited (KDCMPUL) but faced immense pressure from a competing dairy business, Polson Dairy. Kurien decided to support Patel in his endeavors.

Formed in 1946, The Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Limited (KDCMPUL) soon came to be known as ‘Amul Dairy’ which played a very significant role in India’s White Revolution.

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.