Born-26 November 1921
Calicut, Madras Presidency, British India
(now Kozhikode, Kerala)
Died-9 September 2012
Nadiad, Gujarat, India
Nationality-Indian
Other names-Milkman of India
Alma mater-University of Madras
Michigan State University
Spouse-Molly Kurien
Children-Nirmala Kurien
One of the greatest proponents of the cooperative movement in the world, his work has alleviated millions out of poverty not only in India but also outside. He founded around 30 institutions of excellence which are owned, managed by farmers and run by professionals. His achievements with the GCMMF led Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri to appoint him founder-chairman of the NDDB (National Dairy Development Board) in 1965, to replicate Amul's "Anand model" on a nationwide scale.
As the founding chairman of the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), Kurien was responsible for the creation and success of the Amul brand of dairy products. A key achievement at Amul was the invention of milk powder processed from buffalo milk, as opposed to that made from cow-milk, in the then major milk producing nations.
Hailed as the "Milkman of India", Kurien won several awards including the Padma Vibhushan(1999) (India's second-highest civilian honour), the World Food Prize(1989) and the Magsaysay Award(1963) for community leadership.Read more