Amul man Verghese Kurien, the revolutionary dreamer

Verghese Kurien was a man who changed the discourse. For him, the poor, unemployed farmer with no resources was never a problem. He felt if a farmer could access technology and markets, he would be an asset. Having seen the dream, he would not budge. Like all men of his genre, he was willing to engage but not change.

Then Amul became the symbol of all that was India. If an idea was presented and he could weave it into his view at Amul, he would push for it. In the many words written since last Sunday, some are worth recounting. The first was the buffalo. Kurien can be credited for the global recognition of the buffalo as an important war horse in Asiatic peasant farming. It wasn't that well known since it was not an animal found in Europe and North America. The bison had long since been dead. The first time he invited me to get involved was in an international conference where the theme was the buffalo. We are not doing enough but we are one of the few countries in the world that spends money on genetically improving the buffalo. It all goes back to the Dudhwala and his band of missionaries.

Verghese Kurien

We forget but in many cases thekisanis a woman. Devaki Jain has written an evocative piece on how Kurien developed this interest. Once he did, it became part of his psyche. The knowledge that he imparted at the village level empowered women. They can learn about reproduction and get control themselves, he would say. His science and commitment made him rational and secular. No wonder Ela Bhatt wrote an eulogy on him.

Kurien was not your catholic open-minded debater and dilettante. He would pulverise the opponent he didn't agree with. When an investigator, who was to make waves later, showed that when milk production went up, some families would drink less milk, he was infuriated. When I told him that it was not very illogical because with income rising from milk sales, the family would want to meet other needs, he said all economists do is talk.

A cooperative must have regular elections. Its accounts must be audited annually. Kurien hated crooks and charlatans. His message was integrity. At the last big bash he attended, in what is called the Anand Declaration, the emphasis was on the new generation of cooperatives. He was very clear: Reform or perish.

A third of rural income comes from dairying and Kurien produced the only successful model. He realised 30 years ago that it is not just machines and technology and cooperatives; you also need managers. And of course, they have to be the best. It is a pleasure to listen to the women and men he inspired, the early irma (Institute of Rural Management, Anand) graduates, Sodhi, Shiv Kumar and many others. They tell youngsters to be different. "You spend more than four months in the village while doing your mba. If like us you spend the first few years in a village or solve rural problems, you will be unbeatable," they say. So IRMA's placement problem is not just good salaries but also challenging jobs. It's the only management school that does not feel happy when you join an mnc.

What now, I am asked. Actually, eras like this never come to an end. The National Dairy Development Board talks of cooperatives, self-help groups and producer companies. Many NGOs work on those models. NABARD is building financial products for them all. Above all, Verghese Kurien gave us the inheritance that our reform would be swadeshi and we would globalise on our own terms, with the power to do so. Those who don't understand this will be on the wrong side of Kurien, and Indian history.

-Y.K. Alagh is the chairman of the Institute of Rural Management.