I Too Had a Dream: 8 key ideas
The core ideas of I Too Had a Dream, each in under a minute, written in our own words. Want the full depth? Get the book.
- IDEA 1 OF 8
A reluctant engineer stayed in Anand
Kurien describes arriving in Anand, Gujarat, in 1949 as a reluctant government engineer at a dairy.
He met local farmers' leader Tribhuvandas Patel and stayed to help build a cooperative that transformed dairy farming in India.
- IDEA 2 OF 8
Farmers owned the cooperative
Kurien describes how dairy farmers formed a cooperative to sell milk directly, avoiding middlemen.
The farmers owned and controlled it. In Kurien's account, this meant the money from milk went to the people who produced it, so farmers could earn a fairer share.
- IDEA 3 OF 8
Amul became a brand
The Kaira District cooperative launched the Amul brand.
It became one of India's most trusted names. In Kurien's account, farmers and customers trusted the name because the milk was good and the cooperative was honest.
- IDEA 4 OF 8
Technology solved a problem
Kurien describes how his team developed ways to make milk powder from buffalo milk, which experts said was impossible.
This innovation helped the cooperative grow. In Kurien's account, the success showed that the farmers' cooperative could do things that others thought only large companies could do.
- IDEA 5 OF 8
Cooperatives spread across India
The Amul model was copied across India.
Farmers in many states formed cooperatives. In Kurien's account, once farmers saw that the idea worked in one place, others in different states wanted to try it too.
- IDEA 6 OF 8
Operation Flood transformed dairy
Kurien led Operation Flood, a national programme that linked cooperatives and expanded milk production.
India became one of the world's largest milk producers. In Kurien's account, this effort brought farmers across the country into one network and made milk more widely available to people.
- IDEA 7 OF 8
Farmers gained dignity
Kurien argues that cooperatives gave farmers, including women, income and dignity.
They had a voice. In Kurien's view, owning a part of the business gave them a say in decisions that affected their lives and incomes.
- IDEA 8 OF 8
Institutions need integrity
Kurien describes battles with bureaucrats and politicians.
He insisted on keeping cooperatives in farmers' hands. In Kurien's view, if outsiders took control, the cooperatives would no longer serve farmers, and so he fought to protect them.
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