I Too Had a Dream

by Verghese Kurien

Morarjibhai heard him out and said, ‘So you don’t want to be the chairman? In that case, you shall be the chairman.’ And Tribhuvandas was selected as the Chairman of the Kaira Cooperatives. Morarjibhai probably believed that if somebody wanted to be the chairman badly enough, then he would definitely have some vested interest, and that was certainly not right.

It was his vision that made him quick to motivate professionals like me to contribute our services to build farmers’ cooperatives.

recognised an opportunity in what he was asking of me. An opportunity not only to serve myself but also to work for the larger good.

Essentially, the focus of my speech was on how food aid, when used judiciously, could become an instrument for social and economic well-being and not something that would mar and destroy that country’s self-sufficiency.