A Tribute to the Life of George Pothen Thekaekara

George Pothen Thekaekara, father, grandfather and finally Catholic priest, arrived in Bangalore from Changanacherry, Kerala, with the first pioneering Malayalis, in 1937, to teach physics and maths in St. Josephs Indian High School and then St. Josephs College. 

Almost six feet tall, ramrod straight and endowed with a penchant for speeches peppered with home-grown humour, and a joke for all seasons, he soon became a well known personality in Bangalore by the 60's. 

George moved to the Government of Karnataka as Director, Physical Education and was selected to represent the state with a scholarship to the US. Piqued by being unfairly dropped from the list, he resigned, only to find himself in the envious position of being snapped up by the USIS (United States Information Services) with a three fold salary hike. He served as Deputy Director and was at the heart of many USIS sponsored cultural events in the city. He welcomed eminent personalities such as Ambassador John Galbraith and Jazz legend Duke Ellington to his farmhouse in Banswadi and had many inside stories to tell of famous visitors to his home. 

His wife and soulmate Mary was Headmistress and Superintendent of Schools. She was imbued with even more energy, combining her exacting job with running a farm with 1000 chickens, a dairy of Jersey, Holstein cows, goats, pigs and beautiful flowers which were the talk of the town. 

Teaching was George's first love so he took a sabbatical in the mid 1960's to teach high school math in N.J. Just as he was planning to return to India, Mary and he were offered an assignment with the Peace Corps and always ready for a new challenge, he accepted. Off they went to St. Croix to assist in training India 33, the group that was coming to Kerala to help out in poultry farming. Mary taught them Malayalam and George everything else! Once back in India, the group became extended family. Mary and George's home in Banswadi, Bangalore was home away from home for the PCV's. George and Mary maintained their connection with many of their "boys" over the years. 

In the 1970's he moved from centre stage Bangalore life, to Baltimore, where he taught high school maths and physics. He had fascinating stories to tell about working in a special school for drop out inner city kids serving jail sentences whom he considered specially challenging and exciting. At the other end of the spectrum he taught privileged Jewish kids in a rabbinical school. He attacked both jobs with his legendary enthusiasm, discipline and sense of humour. 

Mary's death by cancer in 1982 was a painful blow, but George did not give up. Instead he returned from the US at 70 to begin theology and philosophy studies at St. Peters Seminary, Bangalore. He went to classes every day dutifully from 9 am to 4pm like his grandchildren, a 70 year old among 20 year olds, and fought diligently for his right to a student's bus pass!! In the seminary with failing eyesight he battled Greek, Latin and Hebrew and passed his exams in spite of everyone's dire predictions. He had a hard time finding a Bishop willing to take this highly critical student but finally Bishop Frederick D'Souza of Jhansi accepted him on trial. It was difficult for the seventy five plus former Director to bow down to vows of obedience and poverty but he made the transition to the extreme heat and cold of Jhansi, the different cuisine etc. and was ordained a priest at the age of 83, narrowly escaping making it to the Guiness Book of records. A few years later he retired and returned to Bangalore. 

He leaves behind his four children Merlyn, Alpheen, Phillip and Stan. And grandchildren Nimmi, David, Allan, Matthew, Tahira, Tarshish and Tariq. 

Till his mid 80's he remained ramrod straight, absolutely fit, insisting on doing some manual work everyday in his much loved garden. A fall in the bathroom just before his 89th birthday, was his undoing. The broken hip healed but began a downward spiral and he succumbed to diabetic related complications months before his 90th birthday. It was a measure of the man, his extraordinary fighting spirit, determination and resilience, that all who knew him were shocked by his death. He remained in spirit a very young 89 year old. 

Mari Marcel Thekaekara