Vipul Chuadhary had hardly settled down after winning the coveted post of GCMMF’s Chairman when the news of the demise of Verghese Kuiren shook the nation in general and Amul in particular.

Chaudhary, meanwhile, had plunged headlong into steering Amul towards still greater heights. Indian Cooperative caught up with him and requested him to unveil his future plans.

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Question: How did you feel about the departure of Amul’s father-figure Dr Verghese Kurien?

Vipul Chaudhary: Dr Kurien was our guide and friend and it is difficult to come to terms with his passing away.
I C: But he was not active in recent years?

Vipul: He was our Honorable Director till his death. We have become vulnerable in his absence as we had always grown under his shelter.

Question: What next? We hear you are eager to script yet another success story for Amul.

Vipul: We intend coming at the national level where we can act as a cooperative federation for whole of the country.

Question: But GCMMF is not even a multi-state cooperative society?

Vipul: That is an operational issue which can be solved. What is important is the idea of moving to the national level. With clarity of objective, we propose to have brain-storming sessions on the issue. We intend upgrading GCMMF as an umbrella cooperative in the dairy industry.

Question: How do you propose to go about this?

Vipul: We intend consulting with other Cooperative Federations. We can be a big support for the dairy farmers for the whole of India. GCMMF can market their surplus and the arrangement could be mutually beneficial.

Question: And the talk of DMS take-over?

Vipul: No no, its not a take-over, we have merely offered to operate it professionally. I have met the Honourable Agriculture Minister and now the ball is in the agriculture ministry’s court. I firmly believe, business should be done by businessmen not by the government.

Question: There is news about GCMMF venturing into organic food segment.

Vipul: No, not in the immediate future.

The Delhi Milk Scheme begun way back in 1959 as a part of the union agriculture ministry has been incurring losses over the last years. The scheme is on the block now and the Gujarat Milk Marketing Federation-the parent company of the famous Amul has shown interest in buying it.

GCMMF’s move is prompted by certain concrete calculations: using the DMS infrastructure and its great market potential. According to Gcmmf chairman Vipul Chaudhary, DMS has more than 350 outlets in the national capital and has a production capacity of half a million litres of milk a day.

GCMMF presently boasts an annual turnover of nearly Rs.12 thousand crore but it is active exploring new areas outside Gujarat for its expansion. It would invest Rs. 3000 crore enhancing both its production and procurement capacity in the next few years, said GCMMF’s new Chairman Vipul Chaudhary.

Talking to Indian Cooperative, Mr Chaudhary said we merely want to operate DMS professionally and we believe that business is better managed by businessmen.

Amul Dairy (Kaira Milk Union) and GCMMF have decided to build a memorial to Vergese Kurien on Amul dairy campus to remind people of him and his great achievements. The memorial would especially seek to preserve such artefacts and details of Kurien’s life and activities as would inspire the coming generations.

The cooperative organisations that would erect the memorial are of the view that Kurien has been one of the most remarkable personalities in the post-independence India and his achievements have had an enormous mass appeal.

It is therefore in the fitness of things that his legacy and the ideas he adhered to throughout his life are preserved.

Sources say the basic decision on erecting the memorial has been reached but the actual activity of building the structure would be dealt with later.

Parthi Bhatol has been elected director of the Banas dairy board for the eight times in a row. He has been elected from Palanpur constituency defeating his rival Haribhai Chaudhary a local BJP heavyweight.

The election had been due already in December 2011 but had got delayed as some milk societies moved the Gujarat High Court for the holding of election in accordance with the circular of the state govt. giving equal representation to all talukas affiliated with the dairy cooperatives.

Sources say the chairman would be elected by 18 members including one each from GCMMF, NDDB, district registrar of cooperative societies and a representative from Banas dairy. The district collector is expected to announce the date for the election of chairman as well soon, sources add.

Dr Verghese Kurian was a believer in the importance of cooperative leadership in protecting, preserving and exemplifying the values of cooperation against those who seek power and patronage.

He transformed India from a milk deficient country into one of the biggest milk producers in the world. Under his able leadership Anand became the milk capital of the country where Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and Institute of Rural Management, (IRMA) are located.

His vision of the dairy cooperative sector links over 10 million farmers at 200 dairies across the country producing more than 20 million litres of milk everyday. He was awarded Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Magasaysay Award and other National and International awards.

His biggest contribution was to unite millions of women and farmers in the Dairy Cooperative sector and create a brand known as AMUL. As Chairman of NDDB he began Operation Flood that spanned more than 2 decades and eventually ushered in the white revolution in the country.

Many countries replicated the Anand Model and became self-reliant in milk and milk processing industries. Thanks to his efforts, Institute of Rural Management Anand was set up for R & D and training on various aspects of management of rural cooperatives.

The IRMA has been a totally unique institution giving impetus to young brains to understand rural development and issues of farmers. He stood like a rock against bureaucratic difficulties at different points of time to ensure the growth of GCMMF and NDDB. He nurtured these organisations and developed a second line of command.

The ultimate tribute to Dr. V. Kurien would be to protect and preserve what he stood for throughout his life. The cooperative movement in India is at a crossroads. It is the duty of us cooperators to build and strengthen a genuine cooperative movement in the country to project the interests of farmers and other weaker sections of society.

(Mr Eknath Thakur is the Chairman of Saraswat Bank, the biggest cooperative bank of India)

Nobody has seen Amul girl ever weeping. She is hurly-burly ever eager to take on the world. But she is weeping at the news of her father’s demise- Verghese Kurien.

She has been carrying milk to us from the year 1964 and has seen all weathers. She has seen shortage of milk, its abundance. She felt sad sometimes but never wept.

She is weeping and is barely able to hold her tears. All these years she played around, confident of the fact that the father is resting up in Anand. Its true her father stopped active participation in the affairs of Amul long time back. But a patriarch is a patriarch and his mere presence fills one up with confidence.

She saw him ( Kurien) taking on the mighty vested interests in the beginning. She saw how he bulldozed his way in the deeply-entrenched bureaucracy to create a milky way. She remained with him through thick and thin.

Now she has become alone. Others come to offer solace and tell her of their presence. But in heart of her hearts she knows no one could be like her father Verghese Kuiren. Others could be follower but not the trail- blazer that his father was.

Her parting lines are no less touching. She says “Thank You For Giving us Hausla, Pragati & Anand.

Verghese Kurien, was the architect of white revolution that changed India from a milk-deficient country to the world’s biggest milk producer. He laid the foundation of the nation’s co-operative dairy industry.

Recognized as the ‘Milkman of India’, who created the billion dollar brand Amul passed away on Sunday morning at the age of 90.

The Indian government had conferred on him the Padma Vibhushan while he was also the recipient of World Food Price,Ramon Magsaysay award for Community Leadership, Carnegie Wateler World Peace Prize and International Person of the Year award from US.

Born in Kozhikode, Kerala on November 26, 1921, Kurien had graduated in science from Loyola College in Chennai (1940) and obtained his degree in engineering from the Guindy College of Engineering in Chennai.

After a stint at TISCO, Jamshedpur, Kurien got the Government of India’s (GoI) scholarship to study dairy engineering.

Following specialized training at Imperial Institute of Animal Husbandry and Dairying in Bangalore, Kurien went to the United States where he completed his masters’ degree in mechanical engineering, with dairy engineering as a minor subject, from the Michigan State University in 1948.

On his return Dr Kurien was assigned to join Government Creamery located at Anand in Gujarat to serve his bond period. By the end of 1949, Kurien got release orders from his job at the creamery.

Kurien joined Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Limited in 1949, on the request of Tribhuvandas Patel, then dairy chairman. The dairy was formed at the initiative of Sardar Vallabhabhai Patel.

And thus began his journey which threw him to global lime light. Kurien was visionary no doubt as no one before him had understood the power of networking farmers into a unit and producing milk collectively.

Cooperative model came handy and he exploited it the hilt to go into history as one of the brightest sons of India.

Dr Verghese Kurien, the frail old man who sparkled as a bright star on Indian cooperative scene not long ago, is no more.

He breathed his last in a hospital in Nadiad on Sunday morning. He is survived by wife and a daughter.

His end did not come owing to any disease as doctors treating him Muljibhai Patel Urological Hospital said it was age-related. By the age of 90, a number of faculties go weak as heart and lungs muscles find it hard to carry on the burden of breathing, sources add.

As if GCMMF had premonitions, its Managing Director RS Sodhi, former Chairman Parthi Bhatol and other officials had gathered in large number to celebrate his last birth day on 16th of November. Indian Cooperative.com had covered it extensively.

Condolences have begun to pour with the President of India Pranab Mukerjee calling it an irreparable loss. Incumbent Managing Director R S Sodhi was among a few who reached the hospital as soon as news of his death spread like wild fire.

One of the cooperators Mr Parasmani of Delhi who happened to know Kurien from old days when Kurien saw the dream of making India number one in milk production in the world, recalled his grit and determination.

“He would come clutching some papers, would ask us to organize a press conference , speak out his wooly ideas and vanish”, said Mr Parasmani going down the memory lane.

He achieved everything in his life time. He made India number one in milk production and ushered in milk revolution through Operation Flood. He made Amul, his pet project a force to reckon with.

Indian Cooperative.com salutes the king-size man! You can post your condolences in the comment box below. passed away early this morning at in neighbouring Nadiad town due to age-related problems, Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) sources said.

He was 90 years old and is.

Kurien, who took India from being a milk-deficient country to the world’s largest milk producer, is recognized as the father of white revolution and the man who started ‘operation flood’, besides making the Amul dairy brand a household name.

GCMMF chairman M S Sodhi had reached the hospital, sources said.

Kurien’s 90th birthday was celebrated in a big way at his residence in Anand by the GCMMF on November 26 last year.

President Pranab Mukherjee today condoled the death of Dr Verghese Kurien, the father of India’s ‘white revolution’.

Mukherjee hailed Kurien as one who ushered in white revolution and had made enormous contributions to the fields of agriculture, rural development and dairying.

Kurien, 90, who took India from being a milk-deficient country to the world’s largest milk producer, passed away early this morning in Gujarat due to age-related problems.

He is recognised as the man who started ‘operation flood’, the largest diary development programme in the world, besides making the Amul brand a household name.

The elections to the various milk unions of Gujarat Cooperative Marketing Milk Unions (GCMMF) are underway. But this time it somewhat different. A new player Parivartan Party floated by Keshu Bhai is giving headach to Narendra Modi.

Modi’s protégé and former Chairman of GCMMF Parthi Bhatol is contesting elections from Banas milk union. Talking to Indian Cooperative Bhatol pooh-poohed the factor of Parivartan Party. He said that already 3 union elections have been won by us where our candidate romped home uncontested.

Talking about Banas dairy election slated for September 9, Bhatol said “My victory is certain, I will 100 per cent”. Banas Milk Union was mired into a host of controversies with corruption charges leveled against Bhato.

“Let the electorate decide, we have made Banas dairy fastest growing unit and our detractors have no idea the kind of confidence I enjoy from our members”, a confident Bhatol told Indian Cooperative.

Traditionally BJP and Congress were major players in this election but Keshu Bhai has decided to test the water before he plunges into assembly election slated for November. So far he has not been able to succeed  and Modi has captured majority of seats. Whether the colour of GCMMF would change or not would be clear by the next fortnight.

Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) is a new political formation geared to making politics in Gujarat a triangular affair. The party is a collection of those elements from the BJP who do not approve of the ways in which Narendra Modi governs the state. Keshu Bhai leads it.

The new party has decided to take on Narendra Modi in the polls for the board of directors of Baroda District Cooperative Milk Producers Union.  The party will contest all the 13 seats in the polls to be held later this month.

Baroda milk union is one of the members of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation(GCMMF) which produces Amul. Banas Dairy, another member represented by former Chairman of GCMMF Parthi Bhatol is also going to  polls this month.

Observers see the new party as a spoiler in that the polls so far had been mere an affair between groups supported by the BJP and the Congress.

The new party views the upcoming elections in the dairy organisation as an opportunity to establish its base in the countryside.

The emergence of GPP has caused some unease in the political circles of the state even if the two main parties are trying to make the development seem insignificant.

A senior source at the Baroda milk cooperative union is quoted as saying it would not be a surprise if the new party upended the traditional arrangement.