Verghese Kurien
Father of India’s White Revolution and the force behind Amul
- Lived
- 90 yrs
- 1921 – 2012
- Works listed
- 1
- Book
- Honours
- 3
- Most recent 1999
- Profile views
- 9
- 0 followers
Verghese Kurien was a social entrepreneur who built the Amul dairy co-operative and led Operation Flood, which made India the world’s largest milk producer. Known as the father of the White Revolution, he received the World Food Prize and the Padma Vibhushan. He died in 2012.
Biography
A reluctant dairyman
Kurien studied engineering and, on a government scholarship, dairy engineering at Michigan State University. In 1949 he was posted to a government creamery in Anand, Gujarat, a job he expected to leave quickly.
Amul
In Anand he met Tribhuvandas Patel, who led the Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union, and stayed to help. Together they built a co-operative owned by small farmers, which processed and marketed milk under the brand Amul. Kurien’s team developed a way to make milk powder from buffalo milk.
Operation Flood
As chairman of the National Dairy Development Board from 1965, he led Operation Flood from 1970, replicating the Anand model across India. Over the following decades India became the world’s largest producer of milk, and millions of rural families gained a steady income.
Legacy
Kurien founded the Institute of Rural Management Anand in 1979. Shyam Benegal’s film Manthan (1976), about the co-operative movement, was funded by contributions from half a million farmers. He received the Ramon Magsaysay Award, the World Food Prize (1989) and the Padma Vibhushan (1999), and died in Nadiad on 9 September 2012. His birthday, 26 November, is National Milk Day.
Timeline
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1921
Born in Calicut, Madras Presidency (now Kozhikode, Kerala)
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1949
Arrives in Anand
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1963
Ramon Magsaysay Award
-
1965
Chairman of the National Dairy Development Board
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1970
Operation Flood begins
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1976
Manthan released
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1979
Founds IRMA
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1989
World Food Prize
-
1999
Padma Vibhushan
-
2012
Dies in Nadiad
-
2012
Died, aged 90
Notable works
-
2005
I Too Had a Dream Book
Memoir.
Awards and honours
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Ramon Magsaysay Award
1963
-
World Food Prize
1989
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Padma Vibhushan
1999
Did you know?
-
1
He did not drink milk himself, he once said.
-
2
Farmers funded the film Manthan about his movement.
-
3
National Milk Day is celebrated on his birthday.
Connections
Frequently asked
Who is Verghese Kurien?
Verghese Kurien was a social entrepreneur who built the Amul dairy co-operative and led Operation Flood, which made India the world’s largest milk producer. Known as the father of the White Revolution, he received the World Food Prize and the Padma Vibhushan. He died in 2012.
When did Verghese Kurien die?
Verghese Kurien died on 9 September 2012 at the age of 90.
Where is Verghese Kurien from?
Verghese Kurien was born in Calicut, Madras Presidency (now Kozhikode, Kerala).
What is Verghese Kurien known for?
Verghese Kurien is best known for Amul; Operation Flood; the National Dairy Development Board; IRMA.
What awards has Verghese Kurien received?
Notable honours include Ramon Magsaysay Award (1963), World Food Prize (1989), Padma Vibhushan (1999).
References
- Verghese Kurien — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 2 November 2026.
- Verghese Kurien — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 2 November 2026.
- Verghese Kurien — Hindi Wikipedia. Wikipedia (Hindi). Retrieved 2 November 2026.
- Verghese Kurien (Q180385) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 2 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Verghese Kurien”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 2 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Verghese Kurien.” TrackFame, last updated 3 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/verghese-kurien
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