The Milkman of India Verghese Kurien, who ensured every child got his daily glass of milk and founded Amul, is my role model.

Kurien, who passed away earlier this year, was a legend in his time. Born to a Christian family in Kerala, he did his masters course in mechanical engineering from Michigan State University, USA. After returning home, he was sent on government duty to a creamery in Anand, Gujarat, in 1949. There he launched a cooperative movement, which changed the fortune of over 10 million humble dairy farmers, who he believed were the rightful bosses of the milk business in the country.

With his entrepreneurial skills and risk taking abilities, Kurien revolutionised the milk industry, he replicated the Anand model across the country, which came to be known as Operation Flood.

The father of White Revolution, Kurien, thus, was instrumental in making the country the world’s largest milk producer in the 1970s — a time when that dairy product was considered a luxury for the country.

Ironically, Kurien did not like milk! The biggest lesson that I have got from his life is that you can accomplish big targets without your likes and dislikes coming in the way.

A vision to transform lives is equally important. Thank you, Dr Kurien for these invaluable lessons.

Nishant Satpathy, Class X, DAV Public School (Chandrasekharpur), Bhubaneswar