Lecture to posthumously honor MSU alumnus who made a difference in India’s milk industry
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EmailR.S. Sodhi, managing director of Amul India, will posthumously honor Michigan State University alumnus Dr. Verghese Kurien with the Kurien Memorial Lecture.
EAST LANSING, Mich. – R.S. Sodhi, managing director of Amul India, will posthumously honor Michigan State University (MSU) alumnus Dr. Verghese Kurien with the Kurien Memorial Lecture, Sept. 13 at 4 p.m. in the auditorium of the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center at MSU in East Lansing. A networking reception will follow at 5 p.m.
Sodhi’s lecture “India’s Milk Revolution: Verghese Kurien and the Story of Amul” will take the audience through a journey of Kurien’s life and contributions to rural farmers across India. He was instrumental in transforming India from a milk-deficient country to the world’s biggest milk producer.
Sodhi will cover Kurien’s role in the founding of Amul, and its growth into India’s largest milk cooperative and food company. Amul is known not only for the breadth of its products and sales but also for the scale and reach of its inclusive economics. Over 3.6 million smallholder producers deliver milk for collection at over 18,000 villages every day.
Sodhi will share his vision for Amul’s future, and outline the opportunities and challenges in the context of India’s growing middle class and the need for economic, environmental and social sustainability.
He will also profile the personal attributes and accomplishments of Kurien, and the ways they still inspire today.
The event is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by various MSU departments and colleges including the Asian Studies Center, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, the College of Engineering, the College of Social Science, the Eli Broad College of Business, International Studies and Programs, and James Madison College.
Throughout his time in Michigan, Sodhi will meet with MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon as well as Satish Udpa, executive vice president of administrative services, and others. He will visit MBI and tour the AFEX pilot plant in Lansing. He will also take part in various round table forums on campus on subjects such as cattle health, productivity and safety; agribusiness and communications.
For more information, visit www.isp.msu.edu/sodhi.
