Kurien defended the co-operative model with fervor to match and claimed that in the DNA of co-operative, lies only one point agenda and that is- empowerment and betterment of the livelihood of farmers by organizing their efforts through professional help. He always corrected people by clarifying that he has never been the owner of AMUL, in-fact he is an employee of farmers who have appointed him for professional consultancy and management advice.
Skirmishes that he had with multinational companies such as Nestle, representative of New Zealand dairy board and bureaucrats and politicians of our country provides us an insight on how to deal with obstructions coming in your way and how to deal with it.
All the decisions that he took and oversaw the efficient execution himself, wouldn't have been possible without considerable political and bureaucratic backing. The book also painted a somewhat rosy picture of our political and bureaucratic structure and makes you believe that people like TT Krishnamachari, C. Rajgopalachari existed and supported the villagers and ensured that this scheme meant for their upliftment won't go down the drains.
In toto, all those out there tired of their mundane lives and miss purpose in it, it'll be a refreshing read and an awesome inspiration. Jun 08, Sundar rated it really liked it Shelves: have , entrepreneurship.
A fascinating read about how an initially-unwilling Kurien drove the success of the co-operative movement and white revolution. Great to know about his backer Tribhuvandas Patel as well as a number of others behind Amul, the greatest success of co-operation in India. Kurien's account is so honest that we do get a view of his idiosyncrasies and stubbornness. It is quite evident that without the stubbornness, it is nearly impossible to run a successful organisation braving the Indian bureaucracy.
Sad to read the postscript where Kurien laments how the organisations that he built are being driven away from the co-operative principles. This book has a number of lessons for anyone who wants to see and drive social movements.
Jun 19, Dr. Kashmira Gohil rated it liked it. Amul is a big brand in India now. I liked re Dr. I liked reading his biography. Jun 06, Sree Manasa rated it really liked it.
Autobiographies have the reputation of being the embellished versions of life stories of popular people. I too expected that this book would nicely present in words the various stages of Dr.
Kurien's life. But no; this book is anything but that. Kurien through this book holds the idea of co-operative at centrality and explains how powerful and effective it is in changing the lives of common people especially Indian farmers.
The personal story is narrated inconspicuously in the background. The Autobiographies have the reputation of being the embellished versions of life stories of popular people. The books speaks about the political drama, bureaucratic tussles, manipulations by the multinationals along with tireless efforts of people with utmost levels of personal integrity behind the inspiring success tales of Amul, later Operation Flood.
From being a net importer of milk, India became self-sufficient in milk in and is now the world's largest milk producer. The book answers this question. At an individual level, I found Dr. Kurien as a tenacious personality who had no qualms in calling spade a spade. He might seem little arrogant at few places but nevertheless a person who is patriotic to his core and genuinely believed in the strengths of people.
My biggest take away from the book is this: A person who has but one good idea and holds it with utmost conviction, perseveres in the face of adversity is bound to bring a positive change, both for himself and people around him. Read it- you'll find the book interesting, informative and inspiring all at once! Apr 09, Revati Bargale rated it it was amazing. This book is one of a kind, the man of perseverance, commitment; with a strong command, he was clear in his head to help the dairy farmers and empower them.
In spite of difficulty and corruption in the governance he made it happen. A strong headed, honest and a great leader. My only purpose to read this book was to read the great man, Dr. Verghese Kurien Amaze leadership! Mar 10, Durgesh Deep rated it really liked it. Verghese kurien, known as Father of white revolution or Milkman of India , was one of the gems of India.
Verghese Kurien, the positive story of Kurien, who, like so many other Indian graduates, ends up in a job unrelated to his studies, takes up the challenges unsuspecting of the fact that he could become the father of the Indian white revolution. I have been fond of brand 'Amul' and in fact recently I helped my wife's uncle open an Amul Preferred Outlet in my home town, Incidentally, this is the first book I bought and read in my new Kindle Voyage.
While the positive sid 'I too had a dream' by Dr. I was able to relate to Kurien almost all along when he spoke of his dreary days filled with bitter social experiences. One such thing is to know the fact that like me and many others, Kurien too had to endure the pains of social stigmas such as the discrimination against non-vegetarians, Muslims and Christians who are even today by and large considered a NO-NO when it comes to renting a house in most part of this country.
We, as a society, have been reduced to such a pathetic state that values such as pluralism, mutual trust and respect, religious tolerance, etc are no more relevant to common men. Though Dairy engineering did not figure anywhere in Kurien's scheme of things, it's quite astounding to see how dedication in whatever you do could definitely result in miracles.
All along , I could see two things that he has been fighting, it's the bureaucracy and politics. More than skill, resources and time, you also need people's power to succeed in any project such as Operation Flood. Kurien was fortunate to have that kind of support from different quarters, from Tribhuvandas to Maniben, from Jawaharlal Nehru to Indira and Rajiv Gandhi.
While Amul, NDDB, IRMA are all children of the 'problem of success' of an ideology called 'Cooperatives', it's also imperative that the quality of success vastly depends more on the people behind it and the people in it. I felt some heartburns here and there to see the indifference of this country and society towards Maniben Patel, the daughter of Vallabhai Patel, the indifference of JRD Tata who refused to loan managers for Operation Flood etc.
Ironically Ratan Tata has written the 'Foreword' for this book. Kurien's life and work at Anand are indeed quintessential takeaways for entrepreneurs. Nevertheless, I also believe that anybody with Kurien's integrity, purpose, and values can walk the path of glory with no need for any sort of nepotism and undue favors.
Good book. Worth the time spent in reading the life of one of the great visionaries who fought corporate, political and bureaucratic structures to build one of India's great success stories, the 'AMUL'. Sep 10, Arun rated it really liked it Shelves: non-fiction , india , autobiographical. A delightful book. To read the amazing story of Indian dairy industry narrated by the man who played the most significant role in it was quite insightful.
Dr Kurien was clear on his motives and he never compromised with them, no matter how tough a stand he had to take. His retorts to politicians, bureaucrats and representatives of MNCs and other nations clearly show how confident he was about what he was doing. His narration also significantly emphasizes on the power of people and how fruitful i A delightful book.
His narration also significantly emphasizes on the power of people and how fruitful it can be for development if more freedom is given to people. While being a severe critic of bureaucracy Dr Kurien also candidly appreciated those bureaucrats and politicians who understood his cause and went out of the way to make things work.
It was very fortunate for India to have Dr Kurien and to get him placed at Anand due to certain unexpected quirks of fate. What happened after that constitutes a part of modern Indian history that makes every Indian proud. May 03, Divya Sornaraja rated it really liked it. Throughout this book, you come across most of the iconic prime ministers of India, the political scenario back in the early India days, and also some of the British India bureaucrats and systems in place.
This book sort of felt like a time-traveling capsule taking you through incredible journey of how a new nation was so very well built on its own with the intellectuals and administrators taking the lead.
The transformation story of increasing the rural income by a double digit, bringing the power back to the people, and the sheer scale and spirit of all the project could do is just invariably inspiring and mind blowing. It blew my mind reading through the ingenious idea of Operation Flood by selling the donated Dairy products.
Further, Dr. That very perspective, am sure, must have made him the most powerful man of his times devoid of fear. Although I was incredibly in love with the author, his passion, spirit and all the truth, he is a Nationalist by definition and his mentioned ideologies of a protectionist closed economy may not help nations today but is definitely worth thinking about.
What an Indian! Mar 24, Alokita rated it really liked it Shelves: non-fiction , indian , bio-autobio. This book made me realize why we need to read more autobiographies. Getting a glimpse into what life is about for people we admire and how they themself look at their efforts and achievements. Some takeaways from the book in my personal opinion: 1.
Everyone is dealt a different hand of cards. Getting a good one won't ensure that things go smoothly let alone success. Kurien came from an accomplished background, but that did not mean he got everything he wanted, including a career of his choice. But he worked hard in all the fields he jumped into.
Career changes happen to the best of the lot. But if you have the will to learn and will to implement then you are sure to succeed at any place.
From being an engineer at a multinational company to being the administrator of a failing dairy. It takes confidence and vision to start again, succeed again. Thinking that you can accomplish things all on your own is a fallacy. It is a joint effort, from people at the bottom and at the top. The Amul cooperative could rise to the top because there were politicians, leaders, and farmers who trusted the vision of dairy independence of India at a time when India was struggling for food security and made changes to help it prosper.
Marketing is more important than what people give credit to it for. The appropriate level of economies of scale is difficult to achieve without widening the reach of a product to more public. Institutes are as good as the people at the helm of it. While comparing the fate of cooperatives of Maharashtra and Gujarat, Mr. Kurien observed that the problem is not that politicians are at the helm of such cooperatives but the fact that once these politicians get the helm, they begin to use the cooperatives for political gain instead of using their political will to improve the cooperative.
Bureaucracy sucks most of the time, but knowing the right person at the right time makes the job much easier. May 15, Utkarsh Sankhla rated it it was amazing. When I first heard of this title, and nothing else at all - I thought this was going to be one of those trashy masala novels that mixed love, cringe, titillation and good old fashioned sacrifices not the cannibal kind, mind you.
It just seemed like that - maybe the unoriginal title did me in. But wise people say, never judge a book too heavily by its title. And they are right. I finished this book within a day because it was a fascinating story - of grit, patriotism, business smarts, Indian co When I first heard of this title, and nothing else at all - I thought this was going to be one of those trashy masala novels that mixed love, cringe, titillation and good old fashioned sacrifices not the cannibal kind, mind you.
I finished this book within a day because it was a fascinating story - of grit, patriotism, business smarts, Indian corporate history and a peek into the personality of the orchestrator of Operation Flood. Kuriens autobigraphy was delightful, inspiring and extremely educational.
It is true that we as a country don't celebrate our successes as much as we should - this book plays a small part in changing that. Now, everytime I buy an Amul product and definitely not Mother Dairy , I will see it with completely different eyes. Institutions are built not by money, but by the efforts of ordinary men and women like us, who pick on extraordinary challenges. What I liked: The anecdotes, Dr Kurien's sharp tongue and the feeling of having experienced even if just via a book a transformation of India post independence.
Jun 29, Sandeep Bhat rated it it was amazing. Dr Kurien,the man behind the success of Amul, is one of the biggest believer of power of people. Written in an autobiographical format, I too had a dream is evolution of Mr Kurien from a brash young man to a stubborn workaholic.
The book talks in detail about how he ended up in Anand, role played by Tribhuvandas Patel, Kaira cooperative of Farmers and his endless brushes with bureaucrats and politicians. From ensuring a milk products im Dr Kurien,the man behind the success of Amul, is one of the biggest believer of power of people.
From ensuring a milk products import country to become a self sufficient milk surplus country, Amul is a tremendous marketing and supply chain miracle. With one of the very few cooperatives surviving the capitalist world, the book is a witness to never giving up attitude of Mr Kurien and his team.
Especially interesting are the sections dedicated to launch of Operation Flood, brush with Nestle and the tug of war with Mumbai and Delhi milk scheme. Aug 28, Swati Agrawal rated it it was amazing. This book was on my to-read list for a really long time.. Somehow never managed to get my hands on it.. And I am glad I finally picked it up.. This life-story of Dr. Kurien, of Amul and the dreams of thousands of farmers is beautiful. No flowery language or attempt to please anyone.
It is motivating. Kurien didn't shy away from criticizing the bureaucracy, which always tried to get in his way, creating one obstacle after another. Its all about being passionate about your dream and actually wo This book was on my to-read list for a really long time.. Its all about being passionate about your dream and actually working towards realizing it.
It covers so much, its hard to list them all here. You have to read this. Highly recommended! Growing up in the 90's, I was fortunate to have good quality and more than enough quantity of every dairy product I desired. Little did I know that it was due to the wonderful efforts and hard work of the cooperative at Anand. The book presents a great account of how the cooperative evolved over time, and ultimately made India a self-sufficient country in the dairy industry.
Oct 28, Srinivas rated it it was amazing. Simply too good a read. Jan 19, Neeharika rated it it was amazing. Books, lessons like these are all the MBAs we need. Educating, revealing and an inspiring memoir.
Sep 26, Amruta rated it liked it. Very very interesting story -not only about a self-made man and business, but a self-made revolution! Must read! It's rare to find an accomplished Indian who openly speaks out about the faults of our bureaucracy, IIMs, politicians and even the goras. A really wonderful read on how Mr Kurien made India a self sufficient country in milk. Jun 02, Anurag Gupta rated it really liked it. More and more Indian people should read this book.
What a mammoth of a person. I could feel his powerful personality through the book. He had a great vision for India, for the growth of India's poor and hatred for beaurocratic government. He truly transformed one domain of India. I think this book also shows what a few words of encouragement can do, drawing from the instance when Jawaharlal Nehru hugged him and said something motivating, he had freedom fighters to look upto.
All that makes a pos More and more Indian people should read this book. All that makes a positive impact on the person, makes him of an iron will. Aug 03, Ardhra Prakash rated it liked it Shelves: owned. When a twenty something Kurien was sent to the US on an Indian Government scholarship to study dairy sciences, he saw no reason why he couldn't study metallurgy instead, something he was actually interested in, and settle.
But fate and the state of course had different plans for this young man and he soon found himself at Anand, Gujarat - young, clueless, uninterested and unwelcome for being a Malayali-Unmarried-Meat eating-Christian But joining in on the struggle of the Kheda milk farmers, When a twenty something Kurien was sent to the US on an Indian Government scholarship to study dairy sciences, he saw no reason why he couldn't study metallurgy instead, something he was actually interested in, and settle.
But fate and the state of course had different plans for this young man and he soon found himself at Anand, Gujarat - young, clueless, uninterested and unwelcome for being a Malayali-Unmarried-Meat eating-Christian But joining in on the struggle of the Kheda milk farmers, leading them to an astounding growth story pertaining to the visions of Sardar Vallabhai Patel and Tribhuvan Das Patel, you could say is his legacy.
As he always emphasized and practiced, institutions that turn into bureaucracies over time need to be dismantled and reconstituted so that the power ultimately lies in the hands of the people, the actual stake holders. And that is the reason the Anand Pattern or the Amul Pattern was and is a success story to aspire to, in every wake of our economy.
The writing is reminiscent of that by an old Malayali uncle you would know who speaks of himself as the ultimate badass, but here is a man who can actually make these tall claims. Kurien's story is insightful and inspiring. It also speaks well and loud of the frustrations of a man who refused to be trapped by the system that we so passively blame, who happened to grow old but was still young given the fire within him to fight for what he believes is fair, never really died down.
It did fuel my excitement, I have to agree! From this biography, one can understand that, Dr. Verghese Kurien was a man of moral uprightness and values, who never yielded to the wicked capitalism and devoted his entire life to the service and welfare of the Indian dairy farmers.
This book narrates the humble beginnings of Dr. Kurien, from a Syrian Christian community of Kerala who later went on to secure his two graduate degrees from Loyola College and Guindy Engineering College from erstwhile Madras.
On his return to India, as a contractual repayment of educational loan which he availed to pursue his education in United States, he was posted as an employee in Kaira district milk cooperative society, against his will. Deeply uninterested in the subject of milk and management and as someone who pursued his education on physics and metallurgy, Dr.
Kurien with insurmountable guilt of not doing anything constructive and productive, repeatedly applied for resignation. Kurien finally took up the challenge of reforming the system. The first few chapters of the book gave deep insights on the Indian dairy farming under British colonialism and the intriguing tale of Sardar Vallabhai Patel organising the dairy farmers into a cooperative society under the leadership of Tribhuvandas Krishibhai Patel. The role of Dr. Indeed, Dr. When India was importing the milk powder from other European countries, Dr.
Kurien challenged the conventional scientific norms and became the first person to process milk powder from Buffalo milk. After two years of struggle, when he processed the condensed milk from buffalo milk for the first time ever, he also made sure the imports from Nestle were cut down to send a message that the natives can give back as good as they get.
When India was importing butter from multiple countries, he went on to manufacture Amul butter with its own flavour. When India was importing the baby foods and formulas from other countries, he was the first person to synthesize baby foods with help of CFTRI. Kurien was an influential, powerful, straight forward and a no-nonsense-person, who made many enemies out of bureaucrats, politicians and lobbyists from different corporate companies, but his reform and service mindedness which yielded substantial results in whatever he touched was well understood by every Prime Minister be it Jawaharlal Nehru or Rajiv Gandhi, who placed unconditional trust and support for his work.
He went on to build the National Dairy Development Board NDDB without any help from the Indian government, managing all the expenses from the cooperative funds, after a prolonged delay for a meagre amount of Rs. Though he found comfort and support from different Prime Ministers, he had utmost detest and contempt for the Indian bureaucracy.
In this book, he had even advocated for abolishing such age old system in which an engineering graduate who has no knowledge on ground level issues makes elite policies on agriculture and economy, which benefits only himself and the rest of elites. When Dr. Kurien saw that the IIMs were only training the students for the corporate world, he founded the Institute of Rural Management Anand IRMA to train the youth specifically in rural management and to strengthen the commitment towards rural development.
Though he had publicly denounced religion and claimed himself as an atheist on several occasions, he also moved extremely well with many other religious and spiritual leaders, especially the RSS head Golwalkar and Shankaracharya, having rational discussion with them in support of cow slaughter explaining them how it is an financial bane to farmers to keep feeding cows which do not producing anything and to look after them till they die.
After Independence, the noblest task those days was to contribute in whatever way one could towards building an India of our dreams — a nation where people would be free from hunger and poverty and a nation that eventually be counted among the foremost nations of the world. Kurien firmly believed that the true development of a nation means the development of its women and men and only an economic freedom can uplift these millions.
He toiled hard for fifty years setting up cooperatives for dairy, oil and vegetables while simultaneously building institutions and democratic structures to strengthen the rural development. As a man who was highly skeptical of multinationals and corporates, he believed that only cooperatives can unite the working class irrespective of their caste, creed, sex, religion and language.
Feb 02, Narinder Bhatia rated it it was amazing. There are some books that talk to readers and this is one such book. This is one of the best memoirs I have ever read. Before reading this I had a different impressio and perception about Dr. Kurien but this book has completely transformed my opinion about him. Intrigued by the integrity and commitment of their leader, Tribhuvandas Patel, Dr Kurien joined them.
Since then there has been no looking back. The Anand pattern of cooperativeswere so successful that, at the request of the Government of India, he set up the National Dairy Development Board to replicate it across India. In these memoirs, Dr Verghese Kurien, popularly known as the father of the white revolution, recounts, with customary candour, the story of his life and how he shaped the dairy industry.
Profoundly inspiring, these memoirs help up comprehend the magnitude of his contributions and his multifaceted personality. File Name: i too had a dream pdf free download. I Too Had a Dream- Dr. Verghese Kurien. See a Problem? What is the jesus creed. Pursuit of happyness plot summary. Elementary differential equations by boyce and diprima. Bollinger everyman wodehouse prize for comic fiction. I beat the odds quotes with page numbers. Out of the dust quotes with page numbers. The princess diaries book pdf.
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