I Too Had a Dream Kindle Edition

An insightful reading on the dream, hard work, perseverance and single minded focus of Dr Verghese Kurien, rightly called as Milkman of India, as he transformed India from importer to largest producer of milk in the world and there by transforming lives of farmers.

For me there were a few key takeaways from this book.1. I had always been pro capitalistic in my views and looked at any form of market distortion as creating inefficiencies in the system. However a lot of market intervention was needed in the initial years to create an Amul and this had benefited so many farmers and also consumers. Post reading this I feel that one should create the right resources and give time for domestic industries to have a fair chance to compete against MNCs. One should definitely not have barriers to entry but the opening must be slow and the local industry must be supported to ensure it is able to stay on its legs and then compete. I never expected to form such a view. But reading about Singapore's development and the policies they had initially (From Third world to First) and about Amul I think one has to draw a fine line. IT Industry in India also benefitted a lot by such policies and now stands on its own.2. It was depressing to see the role of bureaucrats and vested interests in play and how strong one has to be to do any good. What kind of a monster have we created where there are so many hurdles to do a good job? A strong parallel to Dr Kurien is Mr Sridharan of Delhi Metro who must have fought similar battles but at a much smaller scale.3. A leader has to be extremely strong, decisive and set the right example at the top. A strong contrarian is Dr MMS who is extremely intelligent and honest as a person but not an able administrator. We need folks like Dr Kurien to lead the nation and they should be supported by people like Dr MMS in policies etc. India is at a moment where we need some strong change in the way the country is governed and that needs someone who is willing to take tough decisions. Unfortunately Dr MMS is not suited for the same.It was indeed a fascinating read. My respect for Dr Kurien, Amul and all other milk cooperatives have gone up a few notches after reading this.

This account of how Dr. Kurien want on the create one of India's biggest co-operatives in the decades of the 60s and 70s is an inspiring read.AMUL was one of India's showpiece achievements during that period. The book gives an insight about how he overcame obstacles to create the masterpiece (and AMUL is nothing less than that)

“I CAME TO ANAND A LONG TIME AGO, NOT BECAUSE I WANTED TO COME HERE but because I was compelled to.”Friday, 13 May 1949 was the day when Verghese Kurien took first entered the sleepy place called Ananda, Gujarat. This was the fresh breeze of changes blew through. Many have superstitions about the date but that date worked wonders for the dairy farmers and for our country.Who can say what fate has in reserve for us. But was it all fate? A young “cocky, foreign-educated young Indian whose favourite clothes were a green shirt, yellow pants and a green felt hat” man steps out to achieve his heart’s desire but gets pushed and pulled in direction unthinkable, at least to him. Initially, some may say he cheated his beloved country when studied for metallurgy and nuclear physics instead of dairy engineering. The fault may also lie on the shoulders of the selection process for the government scholarship. But I would like to point out to them that this knowledge was that the key bolt that worked to getting both Kurien and dairy farmers together under the cooperative umbrella named Kaira. Throughout his life, Kurien left lasting impression on the people he worked and interacted with. To those whose toes he had stepped upon, he was nothing but a cocky, bull-headed man. For the people how loved and respected him, he was a hard-headed man with knack for achieving what is best for the good of the farmers, for the true betterment of his beloved country.

For anyone passionately looking for a guiding star, here is DR. Verghese Kurien in this role, sacrificing himself for the development of poor dairy farmers in the northeastern state of Gujarat in India. After his studies in the USA and not knowing where he was heading-to, he ended up in Anand, a sleepy impoverished village in Gujarat by an invisible guiding star. Initially, with great struggle, he recognized his destiny and soon became an employee of farmers and dedicated his life to their development. As a beacon of character and integrity, and with high morale, he tirelessly fought for dairy farmers' rights to produce, procure and market their products through co-operative societies, and soon became their faithful servant. I see DR.Kurien as a guiding star not because of what he did but what made him do so. I argue, It's his emotional intelligence that made him do so, though his intellectual qualities helped to achieve the results. It's his self-awareness, self-control, empathy, and people skills that made the difference!

Nicely written with clean language and easy reading,. Nicely enumerates the challenges faced by any technocrat and patriotic indian due to its bureaucracy and highlights the role that responsible politicians can play, if they wish to, in nation building, by supporting and giving freedom to right minded individuals like mr. Kurien.

More people should read this book for a fruitful contribution to the society at large and your birth on this planet is of dome use to others and leave a foot mark on this planet

Wonderful book on the conduct of the cooperative movement. The author has described the thoughts, mind and life of Dr. Kurien with great clarity. It was a random purchase for me on amazon but I love the book and am a fan of Dr. Kurien's work and belief system.

Inspiring and talks a lot about leadership qualities, a must read.I recommend everyone If you want to know Indian struggles read this book

An inspiring account of Dr. Kurien. It brought back my childhood memories of Anand!

Excellent narration. Must read book on Dr V Kurien's vision!