Goodbye! Dr Kurien

The papers today are full of tributes to Dr Kurien. The best comes from Dr YK Alagh, the present chairman of IRMA. Writing in The Indian Express today, he sets the record straight regarding the acrimonious exit of Dr Kurien from IRMA. In an article titled, "The milkman who covered the last mile" he says, "The Institute of Rural Management, Anand, asked me to succeed him as its head, an invitation I refused out of respect for Kurien. On their insistence, I agreed to discuss the matter with him. On a hot summer’s day in the Kurien enclave in Anand, he told me: “If you are doing it, Yoginder, I am happy”. Then, he gave me a set of papers that he said were charges that had been framed against him. I threw the papers away, as I haboured no doubts about Kurien’s integrity, but I wondered why we felt the need to constantly run down our icons."