Dr Verghese Kurien - A tribute

By Dr G Sundaram

India has lost a great technocrat and son in the demise of Dr Kurien though he called himself "a Milk Man or Doodhwallah".

When I was posted a deputy secretary in the government of India way back in 1974,I had to get a so-called 'milk card' along with the ration card and a card from the Central Government Health Scheme for medicines. But the Delhi Milk Scheme's director told me that it would take five years to get a card which was actually my tenure in the government of India.

So he advised me to produce a medical certificate for early consideration. But I told him that I was hale and hearty. He told me that it will do if any allopathic doctor could just certify that milk was required for my well-being! While this was the position in 1974,the whole scenario changed within a decade with availability of milk in plenty,thanks to Kurien and, in fact, he managed to banish the multi-nationals in dairying from India.

When I returned to Gujarat in 1977 after a long stint out for personal reasons and posted as additional commissioner of Industries,a superior of mine with whom I had worked was financial adviser in the ministry of Agriculture and in that capacity he was attending a meeting of the NDDB. At that meeting, Kurien was making an appeal to suggest a suitable name for a newly created post of aid-coordination for Operation Flood-II in the Embassy of India in Brussels.

My superior told him my name and said that I studied in Brussels,was with the EE Commission and knew French well. Dr Kurien told him that while he knew practically all IAS officers in Gujarat, how come he had not even heard about me. My superior told him that I was out for a long time and, in fact that might come in my way should I be selected. In any case, Dr Kurien told him to ask me to see him. My superior gave me this message and, although I was reluctant to go back to Brussels, he told me that should Kurien select me, my posting would go through like a shot in the Government of India while others move heaven and earth for foreign postings. So I met Dr Kurien in Anand at his residence where Mrs Kurien was also present. There was also a retired chief secretary of Bihar who was on a visit. It was a pleasant chat with all of them and he saw me off at the gate with a wink.

After a few days, the secretary to the chief minister of Gujarat rang me up and said that there was a letter from Dr Kurien to the CM in which he stated that I was "tailor-made" for his Brussels post and the Government of Gujarat should agree to release me and the CM straightaway agreed. After a couple of days,chief secretary Balakrishnan also confirmed that a letter to this effect has gone to the Government of India.