KURIEN HAD UTMOST RESPECT FOR THE SENTIMENT OF INDIA : THE CASE OF VEGETARIAN CHEESE

 

KURIEN HAD UTMOST RESPECT FOR THE SENTIMENT OF INDIA : THE CASE OF VEGETARIAN CHEESE

Dr. Verghese Kurien had exemplary pride of being an Indian. He also had utmost respect for the sentiment of India, that he had exhibited through out his life and in everything he did, though there existed always an anti-Kurien group to attack for various reasons and motivations.
The Case of Vegetarian Cheese is a right example to justify the statement that Dr. Kurien had utmost respect for the Sentiment of India and I will cite also by a Real Life Example herebelow, may be small, but having much greater meaning when rightly considered.
Around 1970s and until early1980s, it was "Amul Processed Cheese" that was the only pasteurized and "Processed Cheese" from a Dairy Plant in India. Later on when the Operation Flood project was extended to various states of India, some of the State Milk Federations came into being with Dairy Plants, some other brands of Processed Cheese were launched in India, such as 'Verka Cheese " from Punjab State Milk Federation, there were other Cheese Brands also from State Milk Federations.
Around the 1970s there was a huge hue and cry with a Controversy in public in India with lot of publicity in the main-stream press saying "Amul Cheese" was Non-Vegetarian. Even it had gone to the extent of some questions on this issue being raised in Indian Legislature. This was a Controversy that Dr. Kurien had to face with hard facts but his utmost respect for the Indian sentiment with pride of being an Indian had made him overcome.
To produce Cheese out of Milk in a dairy plant, it is essential to use a Coagulating Agent as ingredient that will coagulate the solid mass of the milk to form the basic Cheese. The Coagulating Agent is an Enzyme known as "Rennet ".
Prior to say 1970s, the Processed Cheese everywhere in the World was produced by using "Animal Rennet". The Animal Rennet used to be normally the enzyme extracted from animal stomach, predominantly in those days extracted from bovine sources, that means from the stomach of a Calf. Initially when Amul Processed Cheese was produced around 1960s say prior to 1970s, for a short period, imported Animal Rennet was used to produce the product. That had drawn the attention of of some people, who raised the said Controversy in India very vociferously.
Dr. Kurien could recognize and realize, there was a Vegetarian Sentiment for a very large mass of Indian Population and it had to be respected utmost at any cost.
A team of Scientists at National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal, were commissioned to produce the "Microbial Rennet" for the first time in India and it can be safely said that it was almost first time in the World that "Microbial Rennet" got used to produce a Processed Cheese, that was done in the Dairy Plant of "Amul" under the command of Dr. V. Kurien. The Microbial Rennet is produced by the activities of the micro-organisms such as Fungi, Mould and Yeast. A "Microbial Rennet" is a perfectly Vegetarian subject matter and Amul Cheese produced by using "Microbial Rennet" is a Perfectly Vegetarian Product, that Dr. Kurien proved and was able to convince the Indian Public being able to respect their sentiment to the ultimate.
Now, Microbial Rennet is also produced world wide and used across the world. The use of microbial rennet makes the production cost of Cheese also cheaper compared to animal rennet. However, outside India, and across the world Animal Rennet is still being used in production of Cheese and those who may be having sentiment on this subject of vegetarianism, may check the products now being imported to India for its ingredients, it would be clearly written in its ingredients panel of the product pack as to which rennet has been used for producing that cheese.
After the Vegetarian controversy that was faced by Dr. Kurien, he was very careful to answer to every Indian Citizen who brought this matter to his notice. I place a real life case, here that was handled by me.
While I was working for GCMMF, Patna ( Bihar ) after passing out of IRMA in 1986, until 1990 ( after which I was transferred to Cuttack and thereafter to Ahmedabad), a Block Development Officer (BDO) namely Ms. Prabha Gupta, working then as BDO of a place called as " Murhu " located around 80kms from Ranchi ( now under Jharkhand ) in a quite interior and forest area at that time, wrote a Post Card by India Post addressed to Dr. V. Kurien asking to know whether Amul Cheese is vegetarian or non-vegetarian. That Post Card went and reached Anand by India Post and was placed in the Attention of Dr. Kurien. The best of system Dr. Kurien had always placed in the Organizations under his command that all communications addressed to him will reach him for sure before it is replied and not to be blocked or replied by somebody in between before it is brought to his attention. So the Post-Card written by Ms. Prabha Gupta, BDO reached Dr. Kurien and he asked GCMMF-Head Office to ensure that someone must visit the Lady BDO and explain her personally that "Amul Cheese is Vegetarian".
Thereafter, the GCMMF-Head Office sent the Post Card of Ms. Prabha Gupta, BDO, Murhu (Now in Jharkhand State of India) by post then ( no courier or fax at that time ) to me at GCMMF Patna Office as the Patna Office of GCMMF was covering the Undivided Bihar then (now both Bihar and Jharkand States ). I came from Patna to Ranchi by taking an overnight train. Then hired a Taxi-Car from Ranchi and visited Ms. Prabha Gupta, BDO, Murhu (Jharkhand) then and I had explained her the technology and process to produce Amul Cheese as explained above and had also confirmed to her by a Written Communication of the Organization that Amul Cheese is perfectly vegetarian. Ms. Prabha Gupta, BDO was very happy by this gesture from Dr. Kurien just on the basis of her post card. Ms. Prabha Gupta, BDO was so happy that she even told me that since I had gone there by taking all the pains, I should not go back without seeing the beautiful "Hirni Water Fall" ( a very interior but a beautiful tourist and picnic spot ) which was just nearby may be 2-3 kms but inside deep forest area. She offered her Official Jeep to take me there ( with the apprehension that the hired taxi-Ambassador Car may have problem in reaching there ).
( Disclaimer - This note is academic in the Centenary Year 1921-2021 of Dr. Kurien as tribute in honours for the Great Man and not to offend GCMMF/Amul, or any one, in any way )

[ Dr. V. Kurien or Dr. Verghese Kurien, is popularly known as the "Milk Man of India " for his contributions to the Dairy Development ( steering the White Revolution of India with a world famous project named as "OPERATION FLOOD" in India benefiting millions of Farmers ( Dairy Farmers of India ), men and women. He started his career with "Amul" the World Famous Dairy Organization of India, was the Founder Chairman of Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Limited (GCMMF, or Amul by popular brand name), he was the Founder Chairman of National Dairy Development Board ( NDDB )of India, and also the Founder Chairman of IRMA ( Institute of Rural Management, Anand ) of India, besides a host of other Organizations very popular in India those operated under his command and popular globally. This year 2021 is being celebrated as the Birth Centenary Year of Dr.V. Kurien 1921-2021 by various Organizations/ Institutions he had founded or was associated with. I am placing some articles in my Blog here in memory and honour of him].  

About the Author : Dr. Nimain Charan  Biswal is a B.Sc.(Agri. Science and Technology), M.B.A. and Ph.D.(Management Area ) by qualifications and he has 35+ years of work experience in both  industrial and development sectors in diversified fields of social importance. He has been educated at Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT)-Bhubaneswar, Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) and Gujarat University (with Resource Support of IIM-Ahmedabad). Dr.Biswal is further educated at IIM-Calcutta, XLRI-Jamshedpur, Apple Computer Industries and Spar Inc., USA. He has worked for reputed National and International Organisations in Senior/Top Management Capacities at Board level as well as Managing Director and CEO. He is a management expert covering extensive areas from management in agriculture, industrial management, development management to management of public systems. He is a prominent professional of India and known Internationally as well. He lives at Mumbai in India.

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