Sunday, September 9, 2012

Amul's mentor is no more....

Dr. Verghese Kurien, the man behind the utterly, butterly, delicious or the taste of India is no more. There is much one can say about this man, yet it is this one brand that has stood the test of time and I hope shall remain so as a tribute to him. I had compiled a few of the Amul advertisements on my blog a month back since Amul continues to be our family's favourite.

The father of India’s ‘White Revolution’ Dr Verghese Kurien passed away early on Sunday morning at Muljibhai Patel Urological Hospital in neighbouring Nadiad town due to age-related problems, Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) sources said.

I think the following is from his last birthday.







Verghese Kurien was born on 26 November 1921 in Calicut, Madras Presidency, British India (now Kozhikode, Kerala). His father was a civil surgeon in Cochin. He graduated in Physics from Loyola College, Madras in 1940 and then did B.E. (mechanical engineering) from the College of Engineering, Guindy (then the University of Madras). After completing his degree, he joined the Tata Steel Technical Institute, Jamshedpur from where he graduated in 1946. He then went to the United States on a government scholarship to earn his Master of Science in metallurgical engineering (with distinction) from Michigan State University.

Honours, awards and international recognition

Year Name of Award or Honor Awarding Organization
2012 Gangadharan Memorial Award V. Gangadharan Memorial Trust
2011 Life Time Achievement Award CNN-IBN
2010 Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) Karunya University
2010 Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
2007 Karmaveer Puraskaar iCONGO- Confederation of NGOs
2007 Godfrey Phillips National Bravery Award Godfrey Phillips India Ltd
2006 Doctor of Science Tamil Nadu Agricultural University
2002 Lokmanya Tilak award Lokmanya Tilak Trust
1999 Padma Vibhushan President of India
1991 Doctor of Science University of Guelph, Canada.
1991 Distinguished Alumni Award Michigan State University, USA.
1989 World Food Prize World Food Prize, USA.
1986 Wateler Peace Prize Award Carnegie Foundation, USA.
1986 Krishi Ratna Award President of India.
1966 Padma Bhushan President of India.
1965 Doctor of Science Michigan State University, USA.
1965 Padma Shri President of India.
1963 Ramon Magsaysay Award Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verghese_Kurien

6 comments:

  1. I'm very impressed the way you compile your data. I guess I mentioned this before.

    The passing of Mr Kurien means that the icon that showed the possibilities that an inbred idea can blossom and survive through admirable growth and at the same time enhancing the lives of many farmers, is now history. Kurien's Amul was a smack in the face of multi national big time business. It showed that We can.

    A tongue in cheek remark of Mr Kurien that still stands out is his reply to the question why he did not do an Amul kind of revolution in his home state Kerala , is- "Well in Gujarat there was only one Kurien, but in Kerala there are many Kuriens".

    One should read between the lines to know what he meant and rightly so,

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anil: Thank you.. people need facts and so do I...
      Yes.. he showed that things can be done... but as you said it would have never happened in Kerala. Gujarati's have a knack for business. In Kerala all we do is criticize every damn thing while doing nothing. Look at "Emerging Kerala".... while some of us want things to happen in Kerala, there are many who into this only to make a million buck and scoot. There are no quick fixes.. Amul started in a small way and with the cooperation of the farmers. It is this cooperation that is missing in Kerala.

      Delete
  2. Replies
    1. Yes.. RIP Verghese Kurian.. but I pray that the brand continue to thrive...

      Delete
  3. probably one of THE great persons in India...he taught us all so many lessons, more on that another day

    ReplyDelete
  4. Maddy: Hope to read your post on him.. would be a delight..

    ReplyDelete

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