ICA-AP and the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA), Gujarat, India in collaboration with the ICA Domus Trust and ICA-EU Partnership organized a webinar on “Rethinking Kurien: Changing dimensions of Cooperatives and Collectives” on 22 July 2021. The webinar brought together over 185 participants from across India and elsewhere to mark the birth centenary year of Dr. Verghese Kurien, IRMA’s visionary founder and recipient of the first ICA Rochdale Pioneers Award.
Dr. Verghese Kurien is one of independent India’s most significant institution builders. He understood that organising farmers around an economic enterprise for their development is a necessary condition to improve their wellbeing and to strengthen true democracy. Known as the "Father of the White Revolution" in India, he was a social entrepreneur whose "billion-litre idea", Operation Flood, made dairy farming India's largest self-sustaining industry and the largest rural employment sector.
The key speakers were Mr. V. Vivekanandan, Director (FishMARC), Vrutti, Mr. D. Narendranath, Executive Director, PRADAN, Ms. Switha Grandhi, CEO, Chitrika and Mr. Emmanuel Murray, Senior Advisor, Caspian Impact Investment Adviser. The webinar was structured to be a lively discussion in three rounds, 1) importance of Dr. Kurien on speakers’ work, 2) newer forms of collective engagement and action; and 3) covid impact and the emerging legal and policy framework in India. The opening remarks were given by Prof. Umakant Dash, Director, IRMA. He highlighted the need to build upon Dr. Kurien’s legacy for cooperative education, governance and management in the coming years. The speakers agreed that cooperatives are in a process of transformation. However, collective action through traditional farmer organisations, cooperatives, and the new producer collectives continue to provide economic and social benefits for their members. Cooperatives and similar people-centred organisations have the power to steer the recovery measures in the post-pandemic world.
Mr. Balasubramanian Iyer, Regional Director, ICA-AP and Prof. C. Shambu Prasad, Professor, IRMA moderated the discussions. They observed that with the emergence of new technologies and youth’s leadership in global issues, it is only natural that new forms of cooperatives will continue to emerge. The socio-economic needs of human beings evolve and aspirations manifest themselves into a common will to make this world a better place.
Given the vast experience of the speakers in working with collectives and having interacted with Dr. Kurien, the webinar was a good opportunity for the academic and development practitioners’ to engage on the topic. The webinar was useful to deliberate the future of cooperative enterprises, collective action, and rural management as a discipline.
