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Manthan in the boardroom
There is a heartfelt tragic aspect to the news of Verghese Kurien being shunted out of his decades-old position.
There is a heartfelt tragic aspect to the news of Verghese Kurien being shunted out of his decades-old position as chairman of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF).
After all, neither is the GCMMF any entrepreneurial body nor is Mr Kurien any old chairman unwilling to give up his seat. We are talking here of the man who pretty much single-handedly created India’s White Revolution, pooling in the resources of farmers through the cooperative structure. Mr Kurien is rightfully a legend.
The tragedy is not that Mr Kurien is being made to step down by an alleged cabal led by his one-time protege and present National Dairy Development Board chairperson Amrita Patel.
‘Federation’ politics can be just as brutal as corporate politics. It is tragic because the GCMMF, along with its flagship brand Amul, remains a rousing success story. Far too often has one witnessed leaders past their shelf-lives holding on to their posts simply by virtue of their remarkable successes in the past. Whether it is in the field of politics or sports, the unwillingness to realise that it’s time to let loose of the reins has affected the best and the worst of people. One understands what worries Mr Kurien. He is suspicious of the ‘corporatisation’ of the GCMMF and that this may unravel the whole cooperative structure he has lovingly and so successfully maintained over the decades. But it is also true that Mr Kurien may just have fallen a bit too much in love with his own creation. He is more than human to do so, being the friend, entrepreneur and guide to so many dairy farmers. But there may be a case that the GCMMF may have to move forward in directions that the 84-year-old icon may not have been willing to take it to.
It is unfortunate that Mr Kurien had to step down in such a manner and that he is still willing to resist his ‘forced retirement’. But at the same time it is a telling legacy that Mr Kurien leaves behind, something that cannot be said for so many other pioneers who insist on marring the institution that they have so much trouble leaving behind.
