Yash Pal & Dr. Verghese Kurien

Yash Pal

Born:26 November 1926

Died:24 July 2017

• He was an Indian scientist, educator and educationist.
• He was known for his contributions to the study of cosmic rays, as well as for being an institution-builder.
• In his later years, he became one of the leading science communicators of the country.
• He was Vice President of International Union of Pure and Applied Physics Indian National Science Academy in the year 1980-1981.
• He was an atheist, and opposed belief in deities, astrology and religious rituals, dismissing them as unscientific.
• He was honoured with the Padma Bhushan (1976) and the Padma Vibhushan (2013), the third and second highest Indian civilian honours.

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Dr. Verghese Kurien

Born:26 November 1921

Died:9 September 2012

• He known as the ‘Father of the White Revolution’ in India.
• He was a social entrepreneur whose “billion-litre idea”.
• It made India the world’s largest milk producer from a milk-deficient nation, which doubled milk available per person and increased milk output four-fold, in 30 years.
• He pioneered the “Anand pattern” of dairy cooperatives to replicate it nationwide, based on using suitable ‘top-down’ & ‘bottom up’ approaches simultaneously.
• In 2014, all the dairy majors of the country, along with the Indian Dairy Association, resolved to observe Kurien’s birthday, November 26, as National Milk Day.

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