Harichand Megha Dalaya

Harichand Megha Dalaya (22 October 1921 – 14 September 2004) was the inventor of the first spray-dryer for buffalo milk in the world. His invention revolutionized India's dairy farming industry (Operation Flood) and laid the foundation for Amul cooperative's immense success.[1]

H. M. Dalaya

Harichand Megha Dalaya
Born(1921-10-22)22 October 1921
Karachi in Colonial India (now in Pakistan)
Died14 September 2004(2004-09-14) (aged 82)
Pune, India
EducationPune Agriculture Engineering College 1944

Master's Degree in Dairy Technology, Michigan State University 1948

Advanced Business Management Program, Harvard Business School 1950

Powder Plant Designs, Copenhagen 1955
Known forInvention of spray-drying buffalo milk
AwardsAchievement in Dairy Industry Award by Indian Merchant's Chambers - 1980

Fellowship Award by Indian Dairy Association - 1989

Dr. Kurien Award by Indian Dairy Association - 1991

Early life and education

H. M. Dalaya was born on 22 October 1921 in Karachi in Colonial India. His parents originated from Mathura and were successful dairy farmers.[1]

In 1944, he graduated from the Pune Agriculture Engineering College, Pune. In 1948, he acquired a master's degree in Dairy Technology from Michigan State University, Michigan. In 1950 he completed the Advanced Business Management Program from the Harvard Business School in Boston.[1]

After his studies, H. M. Dalaya returned to a newly independent India. The partition had caused the loss of his family's land in Karachi, which was now part of Pakistan. Discouraged and with little hope for the future, he contemplated returning to the United States to begin afresh.[1]

Turning point

His friend Verghese Kurien, convinced him to visit Amul "for a week or so, to see how he liked it".[1] Amul became his life's calling and H. M. Dalaya stayed on until his retirement.

Buffalo milk was abundant in the Kheda district but the possibility of transporting it to bigger markets was limited due to technological constraints. To expand, the Kaira Co-operative Milk Producers Union (Amul) had to envision converting this surplus milk into powder. In its powdered form, the milk could be transported over longer distances to bigger markets and milk deprived regions[1]

At the time however, the technology of spray-drying buffalo milk did not yet exist. Only cow's milk was being converted. The collective consensus of dairy experts worldwide was that buffalo milk could not be spray-dried due to its high fat content.[2] H. M. Dalaya believed otherwise and was determined to prove so.

Technological breakthrough

In 1955, his keen technological knowledge and engineering capabilities resulted in the installation of the patented Spray Dry Equipment, the world's first buffalo milk spray-dryer, at Amul Dairy in Gujrat.[3]

H. M. Dalaya was the silent force behind the success of Amul. While Tribhuvandas Kishibai Patel is regarded as its "father" and Verghese Kurien as its "son", H. M. Dalaya is considered its "holy ghost" whose contribution changed the future of Indian dairy farming.[2]

References
  1. Heredia, Ruth (1997). The Amul India Story. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. ISBN 978-0-07-463160-7.
  2. DAMODARAN, HARISH (13 September 2012). "The Amul trinity". @businessline. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  3. Vittal, Nagarajan (2007). Roots of Effective Governance. Icfai University Press. ISBN 978-81-314-1156-8.
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