 |
| Koshy P.Thomas, Oman |
Barren were the multi-hued hills of Oman when young Koshy P.Thomas came there in 1977 as an employee of Construction Materials Industries. He was instantly attracted by the many-shaded hills of the land. Koshy started by collecting small stones of different shades and shapes found on those hills. Later he started thinking of developing a construction material from these stones.
Once the idea got hold of him, there was no turning back. No hardship was too much for him. “Restless days and sleepless nights and recurring failures troubled me during the research stage. Long travels on camel-back to the mountains, night-halt on those bare hills etc had to be undergone to collect sand grains and stone pieces.” And at last, after 5 years of relentless effort, he was able to develop a decorative stone. Décor Stone, as the product was called, became the first product of Oman, which till then was importing almost all its construction goods.
Lightweight Décor Stone soon attracted the attention of Arabs. Its equal felicity to block cold and heat was an added advantage. Ability to use both indoors and outdoors as well as lack of need to polish etc. further added to its advantages. By 1990s, Koshy’s Décor Stone had reached far and wide. In 1999, Europe-based World body on Commerce and Industry selected him for the International Grand Prix award for that year. This was the first time that an Indian was being honoured with that award.
Koshy P.Alex hails from Erumely. He completed a diploma in refrigeration and an associateship in mechanical engineering before boarding the train to Mumbai. There he completed the course in Business Management before moving on to Oman.
Courtesy:
R.N, Mathrubhumi, January 29, 2007
Contributed by: Administrator
iapm
