Dr. Verghese Kurien, the father of White Revolution, passed away on Sunday at the age of 90, leaving the Co-operative milk sector in deep gloom.

Dr. Kurien started his career as a mechanical engineer but later he turned to dairy engineering. He played a leading role in the world’s biggest dairly development program called Operation Flood, and the dedication and commitment of the this visionary put the small town of Anand in Gujarat on the dairy map of the world.

As news of his demise spread, academicians, politicians, milk producers and employees of the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation rushed to the Anand-based campus of Amul Dairy to pay their tribute to the Milkman of India.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep grief over the demise of the Milkman of India. He said, “The news of Dr. Kurien’s demise is a major shock for the whole nation which was mesmerized by while revolution inspired by him.”

PJ Joseph, Kerala’s minister of water resources, also paid a visit to Anand to pay tribute to Dr. Kurien.

Kurien was born in a Christian family but, in keeping with his desire, he was cremated according to Hindu practice. Before taking his body to crematorium, priests recited an all-religion prayer. In the crematorium, his 24-year-old grandson Siddhartha performed the last rites.

He created a number of entities that transformed the lives of poor dairy farmers, such as the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) and the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).