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| Mariamma, Our Own School, Dubai |
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4 decades ago, when Mariamma came to Dubai with her husband K.S.Varkey, the place wasn’t the dreamland it is today. Most of the houses were made of mud, vehicles were rare, and electricity was unavailable even in cities…
In the midst of these difficulties, Mariamma’s husband used to give tuition in English to Arab boys even as he worked in the British Bank. That some of those students have gone on to become the present day rulers is another story.
Despite this bleak picture, the couple started ‘Our Own School’ in 1968 with 27 students in the rolls. At a time when there were just 4 Arab schools in Dubai, it was difficult to enroll more students to learn English. And Mariamma’s task of going from house to house to canvass for students was made even more arduous by the fact that the journey had to be undertaken on foot through hot sands and swirling sandstorms.
Those efforts have finally paid off. Mariamma is now the owner of 17 educational institutions in the Gulf. The discovery of crude oil, the exodus of compatriots from Kerala, and the developmental boom, all contributed to the expansion and growth of their venture. Amidst these successes, the death of her husband had come as a jolt to her.
70-year-old Mariamma is busy managing the institutions. Every day she reaches the 1st Our Own School set up by them. To the students and staff she is ‘Ammachi’. While replying to a request for help from Kerala, she says: “Love fills up as you go on giving it.”
Courtesy: Ammar Keezhuparambu, Gruhalakshmi, July 2003
Contributed by: Administrator
