Sunny Varkey's mother Mariamma Varkey of GEMS Education passes away in Dubai - Gulf News

Posted: 30 Mar 2021 04:50 AM PDT

Dubai: Mariamma Varkey, mother of Sunny Varkey, founder and chairman of GEMS Education, passed away in Dubai on Wednesday, the GEMS Group confirmed to Gulf News.

"We confirm the passing of Madam Mariamma Varkey, the mother of GEMS Education Founder and Chairman Mr Sunny Varkey. Madam Varkey will first and foremost be remembered as a beloved mother and grandmother, but also as a teacher and pioneer in education, whose impact transcends generations. Her humanitarian contributions focused on the learning development of girls and the advancement and recognition of teachers, with her legacy rooted in her unrelenting belief in the power of quality education to better society," said a GEMS Education Spokesperson in a statement to Gulf News.

GEMS schools also reported receiving emails about her demise.

Widely known as Madam Varkey, 89-year-old Mariamma, was arguably one among the first Indian women to arrive in the UAE and continued to live here.

In 2010, she was named by a Malayalam newspaper as the senior most Keralite woman living in the UAE.

Mariamma is a former teacher from Kerala in India who moved to Dubai with her husband K.S. Varkey in 1959. They founded Our Own English High School in 1968, the first school under the group which was established by the couple's son Sunny Varkey in 2000.

Mariamma was credited to be a pioneer in teaching who brought in rational change in the education system in the UAE, when it was Trucial States, along with her husband. Among her former students are royal family members in Dubai.

The former primary school teacher believed that good education and proper guidance are the best gifts that parents can offer to their children. "Your education can decide your future," she had said in previous interviews.

Mariamma, was fondly known as Ammachi (meaning mother in the dialect of Keralite Christians) among thousands of her employees, especially the old-timers with whom she shared a special bond.

In 2016, Mariamma Varkey Award for Inspirational and Outstanding Teaching at GEMS was instituted in honour of the founder of GEMS Education's first school. The annual award distribution used to coincide with the World Teachers' Day that falls on October 5.

Gulf New archive Image Credit:

In a condolence message, Dubai Mar Thoma Parish said Mariamma's husband was one of the founders of the church,

"On behalf of the Dubai Mar Thoma Parish, we offer our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members and let us pray for heavenly peace and comfort at this time of grief," the Parish added.

Malayalam film director Naranipuzha Shanavas declared brain dead in Coimbatore hospital - Times of India

Posted: 23 Dec 2020 12:00 AM PST

COIMBATORE: Malayalam film director Naranipuzha Shanavas was declared brain dead in a Coimbatore hospital on Wednesday. The director suffered a massive heart attack while shooting for upcoming film "Gandhirajan," at Attapadi in Palakkad district on Sunday.
KG Hospital officials said he was already critical when he was admitted. However, his family and crew decided to shift him to Amrita Institute of Medical Science in Kochi on Wednesday evening for a second opinion.
The 40-year-old film director was brought to KG Hospital on Sunday evening in a state of cardiogenic shock which stops the heart from pumping blood to the body. His kidney and brain functions were already affected.
"We put him on renal replacement therapy, a form of continuous dialysis after which his kidney began recovering, but his brain function did not recover at all. Doctors declared him brain dead on Wednesday morning," said hospital spokesperson P Kantharaj.
His family and crew decided to shift him to Amrita Institute in Kochi for a second opinion and revival options if any. They left Coimbatore around 5.30pm. Police, who provided a green corridor, appealed to the public on the Coimbatore-Kochi route to cooperate, because the family wanted to transport him in one and a half hours. The journey usually takes four hours.
Shanavas made his debut with "Karie," which was released in 2015. His second film "Sufiyum Sujatayum" was released on Amazon Prime this year.

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