When I joined NDDB in 1968 our office was in two story two bed room on each floor flat adjacent to Amul Dairy with a common boundary.
This is the first office building of NDDB. In 1968 this is where I started my professional career.
Dr. RP Aneja, Shri PV Mathew and Shailendra in front of NDDB office building 1968
In 1969, NDDB got the fourth floor of newly built multi-storey Amul Office building.
NDDB was setup in 1965 and actively started operations from 1966 when Shri Bharat Bhatt and Shri PG Gore joined as Apprentice Engineer. Shri VS Behla was the third Apprentice Engineer who joined in 1967, I joined NDDB in 1968 and was 14th Employee.
When Dr Kurien started NDDB, he was the Chairman, Mr. Thakar from Amul Administration Section was the first Secretary. There was one people too Shri Mackwan who left before I joined. When I joined Dr SC Ray was the Secretary NDDB. He was succeeded by Shri AK Raychowdhry, Shri GM Jhala, Dr. RP Aneja and Dr ( Miss ) Amrita Patel (1965-1987). In 1987 NDDB became an institution under an act of Parliament ( NDDB Act 37 of 1987) and Dr. RP Aneja and Dr( Miss) Amrita Patel were made Managing Directors.
Amul Administrative building 1969 fourth floor; NDDB MMD Group 1969
In the; standing Dr. RPAneja, RK Nagar, MN Vyas, JH Mehta,PV Mathew, Martin, and AAGeorge; sitting Dr. MPGKurup,Shailendra Palvia, Shailendra Kumar and VG Tulpule
The NDDB campus construction was started in late 1968. In 1970, NDDB office was shifted to the campus near Jagnath temple on Khetiwadi Road. Here are some old pictures that I took after office was moved to the campus. . Chairman’s office, Chummery ( now Guest House) , Directors Bungalows and the Old Hostel were first to be built.
Chairmans office Building, NDDB Campus, 1970
This office building was one of the first few building constructed in 1970. The cost of this one building alone was at that time Rs.15,00,000 ( $ 21000 at current rate). Dr. V Kurien, Founder Chairman of NDDB, the milk man of India, occupied the ground floor left side corner room from 1970 till 1998.
The campus was originally conceived as National Dairy Development Centre, however, by the time the construction began it had become National Dairy Development Board. Shri AP Kanvinde a renowned architect conceived the campus. Sue Engineers were Shri CJ Kansara and Shri PG Gore.
It was Dr, Kurien’s vision and leadership that helped India transform from a net importer of milk products to an exporter and become the largest milk producer of the world before he left NDDB in 1998.
It had its first office in a rented building adjacent to the Amul Dairy at Anand and in late 1969 the NDDB Office was moved to fourth floor of AMUL Office building before moving to the newly built campus in 1970. Ten acre land was initially provided by Government of Gujarat. UNICEF grant of Rs 20,00,000 was used for building a 24 room hostel, chumerry for bachelor employees, a block of 12 one bedroom apartment ( D block) for married employees and ten bungalows for senior officers.
When we moved into this office building Operation Flood had just been launched. A lot of base line data was to be collected from field, concept notes and detailed project implementation plans had to be made in time for the first review mission in 1971.
Chummery for bachelor officers now Guest House 1970
Dr. Narayan Raj, PV Mathew, RK Nagar and I were given rooms in Chummery in 1970. Later we were shifted to the newly built hostel I was made the first warden of the Hostel.
NDDB old Hostel Dining Area 1970
The furniture for the hostel was designed by National Institute of Design.
I was in the NDDB hostel in 2015 and again in 2020 and found that most of the chairs, tables and other furniture was still in use.
It was very lonely to live in the hostel. From room number one of the hostel which was allotted to me as Warden had separate living room and bedroom and wash room. Nagar, Mathew and Narayan Raj had rooms on the second floor. Twenty four rooms four of us to live. There wasn’t much to do after office. Raoji bhai our cook cum man Friday from Mani Bhavan days was employed as a cook. Shri AK Raychaudhry the then Secretary had moved into the quarter A1 but his family hadn’t. So he used to eat with us in the hostel. Cost of food was shared among us. Pratap was lone watch man and he would leave the main gate and during the winters make a bonfire to beat the cold. Sitting at a strategic position, where the current car parking space is, he could see the gate and the hostel too. I could see him too from the window of the sitting room of my hostel wardens suite !
It was reassuring as there was a cremation ground just out side the campus, across the road from Jagnath Mahadev temple. In the night it was scary indeed.
Old Hostel and foundations of multi-storeyed office is seen in the picture 1970
- A story in search of an end; “A Bull Made of Steel”
- Shri R N Haldipur. Humility Unlimited
- Random Reminiscences of a forgetful old man 1968-1975 Manthan and Mani Bhuvan-3
- वसुधैव कुटुंबकम; वाक्यांश क्या केवल एक जुमला है ?
- Vasudhaiv Kutumbkam; Is it just a slogan being used these days?
