Kurian John Melamparambil

Kurian John Melamparambil
Born Tiruvalla, Kottayam, Kerala, India
Occupation Entrepreneur, humanitarian
Spouse(s) Sujatha
Children Divya, Dhanya
Parent(s) Varghese John
Leelamma
Awards Padma Shri

Kurian John Melamparambil is an Indian humanitarian, philanthropist and entrepreneur from Kerala. He is the founder of the MVJ Charities[1] and the MVJ Foods.[2] He was honoured by the Government of India, in 2010, for his services to the social cause, with the fourth highest civilian award, the Padma Shri.[3]

Biography

Humanitarianism is not charity, says Kurian John, but is a moral and social obligation of each and every individual and institution[4][5]

Kurian John was born in Tiruvalla, a central Kerala town in Kottayam, India, to Varghese John, a local businessman and Leelamma, as the second of theor three sons. After schooling, Kurian graduated in Economics from the Mar Ivanios College, Thiruvananthapuram and secured his master's degree in social work (MSW) from the Indore School of Social Work.[6]

On his return to Kerala, he joined the Malayala Manorama group, in 1980, as the head of Personnel and Administration department, and got married to Sujatha, a year later, in September 1981. The couple has two daughters, Divya and Dhanya.[6]

Melam group and social service

His father's death, for want of immediate medical assistance, on 28 May 1978, had a major impact on Kurian John's life. This prompted him to set up a charity, primarily aimed at bringing medical assistance to the needy and the poor and the result was Melamparambil Varghese John Memorial Charities (MVJ Charities)[1] which was registered as a charitable trust on 10 September 1986.[7] During the initial years, activities were limited due to paucity of funds.[6]

Soon after he left his job to return to his family business, he started looking for opportunitites to augment his income so that his dream of an effective charitable activity could be taken up. During a visit to Singapore Food Festival, he embarked on the idea of starting a business in the food industry. Thus was the origin of MVJ Foods[2] in 1992. He brought in the matriarch of hospitality industry, Padma Shri Thangam Philip,[8] as the brand ambassador of the firm and launched products under the brand name, Melam. It was an instant success and the brand now markets 151 products of which 50 are marketed in India and the rest, exported to various countries.[6][9] The brand is recognised as a leading name and has been awarded multiple times.[10]

The success and money Melam brought in helped MVJ charities in a big way. The objectives were redrawn with the primary focus to make available medical assistance to the needy and the corollary activities as to provide scholarships, food, clothing and housing for dependents of the patients and to conduct regular free medical camps. The Trust now has a set system which networks it with 925 hospitals across the state which gives medical assistance on a 30-day credit basis which are paid by the Trust. About 125,000 patients have been said to have received assistance from the Trust.[6][11][12]

Awards and recognitions

Kurian John Melamparambil has been honoured with several awards and recognitions during his career.[10]

Personal awards and recognitions

Awards for Melam Group

Works

Kurian John has published a memoirs, which narrates his life through business and charity.[15]

References

  1. 1 2 "Melam Charities". Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Melam". Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Govt announcement". Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  4. John, Kurian. "Kairali TV Interview 2". Coffee with Boss in Kairali TV (Interview). Interview with Abraham Thomas. Kochi. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  5. "Dhanya Anna article". Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bio Unique". Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 "Objectives Charity". Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  8. "Thangam Philip". Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  9. John, Kurian. "Kairali TV Interview". Coffee with Boss in Kairali TV (Interview). Interview with Abraham Thomas. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 "Awards". Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  11. Shalom TV (7 March 2013). Karunyathinte Thoovalsparsham (TV Documentary). Tiruvalla, Kerala: Shalom TV.
  12. "Marthoma" (PDF). Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Cosmopolitan". Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  14. "Rhema". Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  15. Dr. Kurian John Melamparambil (2005). Melam Ente Jeevante Thalam. Kochi: DC Books. ASIN B007E4XRS2.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/27/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.