MILK – An Indian Success Story.
Doodh, doodh, doodh - India is poised to produce a staggering 90 million tonnes of milk in year 2005. That will be 10 mn tonnes MORE than the second largest producer,USA. India produced 88 mn tonnes in 2004 and 84 mn in 2003. But, how was the condition in India 60 years ago?
During early 1940s, India had an acute short supply of milk and the Govt had banned its use in hotels, and restaurants. One black coffee, please. The Bombay Presidency introduced special distribution centers to ration it to expectant mothers and young children.
Milk supply was an urban nightmare those days. In Bombay alone there were thousands of cattle sheds scattered across the city and their dairying practices were both unhygienic and unscientific. A Parsi gentleman, Dara Khurody who was the milk commissioner of Bombay, took up the job of re-organising the milk supply. He established a huge milk colony in the village of Aarey near Bombay, which is today the largest state-owned milk-producing center in the world – the Aarey milk colony.
Meanwhile activities were going on in the Kaira region in Gujarat. Kaira (Anand) was known for abundance of milk. Bombay Govt introduced the first milk train between Kaira and Bombay in 1945. The supplier was POLSON Dairy, founded by Pestonji Polson in 1930. Polson dairy products were the monopoly even during early 1970s.
Then, Morarji Desai, a Secretary that time in Gujarat, initiated the co-operative movement at Anand. Tribhuvandas Patel who was entrusted this job, had to wage an unequal battle with the powerful Polson dairy. He recruited a young dairy engineer as his co-worker – Verghese Kurien. AMUL was born. Polson lost.
Maybe in Ramrajya, milk and honey were flowing like river; but not in India of our childhood. Our parents had a cow in the house (named Lakshmi?). The milkman would come in the mornings to milk it. Later, the milkman would bring his cow to our doorstep and milk the cow in our presence.
Then, the milkman brought milk in cans and supplied. In Poona the doodhwala would come by 4 AM; In Cuddalore, the milkman MANI (name correct, Vasu?) would come twice a day with his unique cycle bell. In Hyderabad, our doodhwala had a bicycle initially that later progressed into a shining Vespa; the man himself never changed through the years, always the whitest of white shirt and veshti and a broad smile on his face. He used to bring us also the farm-fresh vegetables and keerais from his farm.
However, if we miss out our morning doodhwala, then no hope of milk till next sunrise! Woe be unto those who had guests suddenly landing …with no milk in the house. That time the bottled milk conception was just appearing on the horizon. “Bhaiya doodh” was thought to be the ‘fresh’, and no mother would even dream of giving her ladla the “inferior” bottle-milk. Having bottle milk was considered a social shame.
But, the bottle had to win. More and more co-ops modeled like AMUL came up in all the States – Vijaya in AP, Aavin in TN etc. The friendly doodhwala slowly disappeared from the scene. The bottle milk had high fat content to start with – Vijaya, like others, used to collect the creamy layer daily and on Sundays, kadainjify this cream to make butter, tennis-ball size. Four hungry Krishnas would be hovering around to get our quota of the amruth. Words like Cholestrol, LDL, HDL had not entered our daily life those divine days!
Years later, the bottle gave way to sachets. And to skimmed milk. No cream, no butter – the Thayir Maththu was discarded to museum.
Milk is in abundance today – the Kurien effect is visible all through India. If you are getting milk in any corner of your city all through 24 X 365, say a silent prayer to God for blessing us with Verghese Kurien. The REAL Bharat Ratna. Thank you, Mr Kurien for the utterly butterly delicious changes you have effected.
Rajappa
28 Oct 2004, 09:30
Doodh, doodh, doodh - India is poised to produce a staggering 90 million tonnes of milk in year 2005. That will be 10 mn tonnes MORE than the second largest producer,USA. India produced 88 mn tonnes in 2004 and 84 mn in 2003. But, how was the condition in India 60 years ago?
During early 1940s, India had an acute short supply of milk and the Govt had banned its use in hotels, and restaurants. One black coffee, please. The Bombay Presidency introduced special distribution centers to ration it to expectant mothers and young children.
Milk supply was an urban nightmare those days. In Bombay alone there were thousands of cattle sheds scattered across the city and their dairying practices were both unhygienic and unscientific. A Parsi gentleman, Dara Khurody who was the milk commissioner of Bombay, took up the job of re-organising the milk supply. He established a huge milk colony in the village of Aarey near Bombay, which is today the largest state-owned milk-producing center in the world – the Aarey milk colony.
Meanwhile activities were going on in the Kaira region in Gujarat. Kaira (Anand) was known for abundance of milk. Bombay Govt introduced the first milk train between Kaira and Bombay in 1945. The supplier was POLSON Dairy, founded by Pestonji Polson in 1930. Polson dairy products were the monopoly even during early 1970s.
Then, Morarji Desai, a Secretary that time in Gujarat, initiated the co-operative movement at Anand. Tribhuvandas Patel who was entrusted this job, had to wage an unequal battle with the powerful Polson dairy. He recruited a young dairy engineer as his co-worker – Verghese Kurien. AMUL was born. Polson lost.
Maybe in Ramrajya, milk and honey were flowing like river; but not in India of our childhood. Our parents had a cow in the house (named Lakshmi?). The milkman would come in the mornings to milk it. Later, the milkman would bring his cow to our doorstep and milk the cow in our presence.
Then, the milkman brought milk in cans and supplied. In Poona the doodhwala would come by 4 AM; In Cuddalore, the milkman MANI (name correct, Vasu?) would come twice a day with his unique cycle bell. In Hyderabad, our doodhwala had a bicycle initially that later progressed into a shining Vespa; the man himself never changed through the years, always the whitest of white shirt and veshti and a broad smile on his face. He used to bring us also the farm-fresh vegetables and keerais from his farm.
However, if we miss out our morning doodhwala, then no hope of milk till next sunrise! Woe be unto those who had guests suddenly landing …with no milk in the house. That time the bottled milk conception was just appearing on the horizon. “Bhaiya doodh” was thought to be the ‘fresh’, and no mother would even dream of giving her ladla the “inferior” bottle-milk. Having bottle milk was considered a social shame.
But, the bottle had to win. More and more co-ops modeled like AMUL came up in all the States – Vijaya in AP, Aavin in TN etc. The friendly doodhwala slowly disappeared from the scene. The bottle milk had high fat content to start with – Vijaya, like others, used to collect the creamy layer daily and on Sundays, kadainjify this cream to make butter, tennis-ball size. Four hungry Krishnas would be hovering around to get our quota of the amruth. Words like Cholestrol, LDL, HDL had not entered our daily life those divine days!
Years later, the bottle gave way to sachets. And to skimmed milk. No cream, no butter – the Thayir Maththu was discarded to museum.
Milk is in abundance today – the Kurien effect is visible all through India. If you are getting milk in any corner of your city all through 24 X 365, say a silent prayer to God for blessing us with Verghese Kurien. The REAL Bharat Ratna. Thank you, Mr Kurien for the utterly butterly delicious changes you have effected.
Rajappa
28 Oct 2004, 09:30
Comments
Post a Comment