On November 26, 2021, the nation celebrated the 100th birth anniversary of the ‘milkman of India’ Dr Verghese Kurien. Kurien is also known as the ‘Father of White Revolution’ as he has scripted India’s success story in milk production.
Kurien was born on November 26, 1921, in present-day- Kozhikode, Kerala. He was graduated at the age of 14 and later opted for Dairy Engineering, although he was not happy with it at that time. Earlier, he wanted to join the army as an engineer. The White Revolution was his brainchild. It is because of him that today India has turned into the largest milk-producing country from milk deficient country.
He contributed in the establishment of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd and the National Dairy Development Board. Both boards became the base of the largest milk production. Kurien also contributed to the establishment of the Amul cooperative society.
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Manthan, a 1976 film is a perfect example of Dr Kurien’s extraordinary efforts. Around 5000 families contributed Rs 2 to produce the film, which traces the origin of the world’s largest dairy development program. The film was directed by Shyam Benegal and was written by Dr Kurien and Vijay Tendulkar.
He was thus a recipient of several awards, including the Padma Vibhushan (1999), World Food Prize (1989), Krishi Ratna (1986), Padma Bhushan (1966), Padma Shri (1965), Ramon Magsaysay Award (1963) etc.
Every year, Amul celebrates the birth anniversary of Dr Kurien. In 2021, Amul shared the “100/100 Always” Amul girl ad campaign.
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World Milk Day:
World Milk Day falls on 1st June every year, it is celebrated to understand the importance of dairy farmers and dairy sectors. The day also recognizes milk as the global food and raises awareness about dairy’s part in healthy living, diet, and food production.
The theme of World Milk Day 2021 was “Sustainability in the dairy sector with messages around the environment, nutrition, and socioeconomics.”