I Too Had a Dream - Tapa blanda

This is the autobiography of Verghese Kurien - with emphasis on how he built the Amul Brand. The man comes out as arrogant and autocratic - but we could think of it as avuncular autocracy. More like Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore who wasn't corrupt and built Singapore out of wasteland. Verghese also explains his struggle against two lazy, corrupt, and self-absorbed monolithic institutions of India - the bureaucrats and politicians. I was extremely impressed the way he built self-sufficiency in Milk for India. How he later replicates the success all over India with Operation Flood. How he fought the media who framed and then blamed him for all fictitious charges. And finally how he got his name cleared from all charges. His attempt to replicate the success in Pakistan and Sri Lanka are detailed and the reasons of failure are also mentioned very clearly. Some Indian politicians are shown in very good light (Sardar Patel), some with mixed feelings (Nehru), some very scandalously (Jagjeevan Ram). I found the book very inspiring and if you are looking to start some project that has 'obvious' benefits for the millions, then pause, and read this book. You will come out a whole lot wiser and prepared. All in all, very highly recommended book - a must read! --By Ashok A on June 10, 2011

Great biography containing no malice towards any problem maker. Admits his harsh attitude towards non-co-operative people who were blocking progress needlessly. He gives credit in full to people and organisations whose help had been instrumental in dairy development and uplift of life of Indians, farmers in particular. Help of Newzealand and Australia and in particular the assistance from European countries to make operation flood a success has been mentioned with the appreciation they deserved. He mentions road blocks to progress by bureaucracy but analyses it for as due to the ignorance and other reasons and does not condemn them outright. He does mentions without ill will rare cases where he did not get help that could have been useful. The book certainly serves as a guide to young people interested in management and development work as also those ambitions to work in social uplift. --By Srinivas V. Kudva on February 21, 2015

It shows how even a single determined individual can change the way we Indians perceive ourselves by sheer dedication and commitment towards his/her work and towards the country he/she lives in. Here you see the commitment of an individual Dr Kurien towards farmers as another human being and not as Christian,Hindu or Sikhism. He is motivated to better the lives of these farmers and finds ways to just do that and that way created history by starting WHITE REVOLUTION and has immortalized himself in the annals of Indian history. He brought Dwarpuryug to our doorstep in this Kaliyug. Hats off to him and may India get more sons like Dr Kurien. --By Mrs on February 25, 2015

Architect of 'Operation Flood', the largest dairy development programme in the world, Dr Verghese Kurien has enabled India to become the largest milk producer in the world. A man with a rare vision, Dr Kurien has devoted a lifetime to realising his dream - empowering the farmers of India. He has engineered the milk cooperative movement in India. It was a sheer quirk of fate that landed him in Anand where a small group of farmers were forming a cooperative, Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union Limited (better known as Amul), to sell their milk. 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 cooperatives' was so successful that, at the request of the Government of India, he set up the National Dairy Development Board to replicate it across India. He also established the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation to market its products. 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 us comprehend the magnitude of his contributions and his multifaceted personality. 'I have often claimed that I have had but one good idea in my life: true development is the development of women and men. This idea took such a hold of me that I remained in this small, sleepy town of Anand for over fifty years as an employee of farmers. I was never able to give this up for what many call "a better life". These years have, without an iota of doubt, been the most rewarding years of my life. Over the years I have spoken ceaselessly of this idea, hoping to enthuse young women and men to adopt my passion as theirs. I have been fortunate that there have been many who took up the challenge.'