Founder – Rosamma Varghese (1936-2024)
Nineteen Thirty Six was an ominous year in history. The Airship Hindenburg completed its first transatlantic flight, promising a new era in passenger transport. It ended in disaster less than a year later. Nazi Germany ramped up its threats against its neighboring countries, triggering World War II. It ended with the defeat of Germany and the Axis powers a few years later.
In 1936, Rosamma John Neroth was born in the historic port town of Alleppey, known as the "Venice of the East" https://preservealleppey.wordpress.com/ in the south Indian state of Kerala, known as "God's Own Country". Her father, Mr. NC John, was an entrepreneur who had established a thriving export business with customers in Europe and beyond. Her mother raised 11 children and managed a small farm around the Neroth ancestral home, which included a garden full of fruit trees and vegetable plants, a cowshed, a pigsty, a chicken coop and turkeys. She had a small staff to help her take care of the house, the vast kitchen, her children, grandchildren and their household pets. She was a force of nature and a source of inspiration for her daughters and her large extended family.
Rosamma attended a local convent school in Alleppey and later enrolled for a Bachelors in Mathematics at St Teresa’s College of the erstwhile Madras University. It wasn’t a typical choice for young women of her time, but she said she found math easier than memorizing history or other liberal arts information. She graduated at the top of her class and won the gold medal in mathematics. She soon received marriage proposals, however, she told her father that she only wanted to marry a man more educated than herself. Eligible bachelors with high school diplomas or bachelors degrees didn't meet her standards. In 1956, Vareed, with a master’s degree in Aeronautical engineering from England, entered the scene. She had met her match.
Soon, she was off to Bristol, England, where Vareed worked at Rolls Royce Engines. Bryan Williams, one of Vareed’s oldest friends in Bristol, recalled her arrival, describing her as a "beautiful Indian princess" in her colorful saree. Rosamma's math skills as a back-seat navigator helped Vareed and his colleagues Bryan Williams and Reg Lattimore win the annual Bristol car rally, showcasing her sharp mind. Rosamma and Vareed eventually returned to India and moved into Bristol Quarters, Bangalore on Old Madras Road. Vareed became India's first Chief Design Engineer at Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) where he designed and developed India's first jet engine. https://learnforlifefoundation.org/vareed-thekkethala When Vareed retired from HAL, they built and settled down in one of the first houses constructed on 80 Feet Road in Koramangala.
Rosamma's passion for gardening, passed down to her by her mother, resulted in the development of this farmhouse and garden, during her retirement years. She christened this labor of love Bristol Cottage in memory of her years in Bristol, England and Bristol Quarters.
Her family has decided to preserve the farmhouse and continue her practice of renting it out for small events to support one of her other passions, which was to educate less privileged children. Over the years, she helped enroll and support her cook and driver's children to go to school. She also insisted on sending the younger women who worked with her to learn vocational skills like tailoring.
The family has set up an initial corpus and will use the rental income to continue to fund the education of less privileged girls through the Rosamma Varghese (Thekkethala) Scholarships.
Feel free to forward this website link to your network or anyone interested in hosting small outdoor events, (not including overnight stays) to continue her legacy of educating less privileged children.
She has spread her dreams under our feet; Tread softly because you tread on her dreams.
(Paraphrased from WB Yeats)
