Tuesday 22 September 2020

Award Winning Second World War Veteran, England Educated Engineer ,Ex Employee of Bhabha Atomic Research Center Bombay , and Former Assistant Executive Engineer at Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station Trivandrum / VSSC, late Sri Abraham Gurupatham

Introduction    : Second World War Veteran, England educated  Engineer,  and former Assistant Executive Engineer of  Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station, Trivandrum,[TERLS /  VSSC ]  late Sri Abraham Gurupatham was an outstanding Indian Citizen, he had the privilege to serve  key departments in the Indian Government such as Indian Navy, B.A.R.C, and Space Department with great distinction and dedication . He was a born genius , he was unassuming and he reached heights in life by virtue of his hard work and natural intelligence . His forgotten life story will galvanize many youth specially rural youth to dream high and to become achievers in life. 



                                                            Mr. Abraham Gurupatham 

Sri A. Gurupatham's Parents and Birth   :  During the early decades of twentieth century there lived  a  man by name Mr Muthu Abraham  in a beautiful unknown  idyllic village called Perunankulam  near Thisayanvilai in Tirunelveli district,  Tamil Nadu with his wife  and this couple gave birth to Mr Abraham Gurupatham on the 7th March, 1920.

Mr. A. Gurupatham's  Siblings   : Sri Abraham Gurupatham was blessed with the following siblings namely [1]Ms. Rajamony, [2]Mr.Suviseshamuthu, and[3] Mr. M.S. Kumar [ He worked as a side actor in the Tamil Film industry ,]

Mr. Abraham Gurupatham's Wife and Children   ; Sri Abraham Gurupatham was married to Ms Sudharshnal [Ms Sudharshanal's  mother  Ms Janeamma was a first cousin of  the world famous  Pianist Padma Sri Handel  Manuel. { Sri. Handel Manuel's father Dr Manuel had four siblings including Ms Janeamma]. ].  Mr Abraham Gurupatham and Ms Sudharshnal Gurupatham couple gave birth to a daughter and a son namely :-[1] Ms. Jaya Jothinayagam, and [2] Mr Jeyaraj Abraham [ Mr . Jeyaraj Abraham had the privilege to work in ISRO and he  retired as Senior Purchase  and Stores officer]. 

Sri. Abraham Gurupatham's Educational and Professional Trajectory   :  Mr Abraham Gurupatham was a student of the Concordia High School at Vadakkan kulam and after having  completed 9th grade he  went to Sri Lanka in search of employment  and in Srilanka he did all kinds of jobs . Then after having earned some money he returned to India  and in 1938 joined the Indian Navy . His inherent  thirst for progress and knowledge  forced him to continue his education and so while he was working in the  Indian Navy he sat for a Higher Education Test and passed that examination [ Which was was equivalent  to S.S.LC]  he proved himself as an efficacious sailor in the Indian Navy  He was posted to stay in London for two years [1940- 1942 ] by the Indian Navy authorities and during this stay period Mr Abraham Gurupatham did his Diploma in Electrical Engineering in Great Britain . After having  meritoriously completed his Diploma in Electrical Engineering course,in England [ 1940- 1942 ] he returned to India and continued his work in the Indian Navy and in 1958  retired from the Indian Navy as Chief Petty Officer [CPO}. .

Sri Abraham Gurupatham Joined BARC   :After his retirement from the Indian Navy, Mr A. Gurupatham joined as a Supervisor at the prestigious Bhabha Atomic Research Center in Bombay  and served in the Bhabha Atomic research Center [ BARC ] with great dedication, decorum  and innovative efficacy and he was well appreciated by his senior  officers and Scientists  It would be appropriate to recollect one incident that while he was working at the BARC , a made in Germany Generator was lying idle for long time for there was nobody to repair that, Mr Abraham Gurupatham noticed generator  and with the permission of the Chief Engineer he repaired that generator and  everybody  was stunned\and he was immensely appreciated by the Chief Engineer and  such others 

Sri Abrham Gurupatham Joined Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station   :   In the year 1965 Mr Abraham Gurupatham joined the recently started [1962 ] TERLS [ Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station as an Engineer on deputation from BARC,and he was subsequently promoted as Senior Engineer . It will be apt to say that TERLS was later renamed as VSSC[ Vikram Sarabhai Space Center after Dr Vikram's death ].. Mr Gurupatham was an innovative thinker and hard worker and so he  was again promoted as Assistant Executive Engineer  But unfortunately a Motor Cycle accident put a full stop of his promising career in TERLS/  VSSC[ ISRO} .and chased away his valuable life on the 7th April, 1974.  

Conclusion   : .. Really late Sri Abrahm Gurupatham was an outstanding and innovative  Engineer  and he was a great  soul with inherent compassion for the poor, lowliest and last . Incidentally he happened to born in an unknown village  at the Southern  Tamil Nadu but he earned the privilege to do a Diploma course in Electrical Engineering  in England, UK. He had the rare privilege to serve in two prestigious Scientific Research Institutions namely, BARC and VSSC and also had the honor to know and move with  towering Scientists like Dr APJ Abdul kalam and others . He was a close  friend of Dr APJ. and used to chat with him on many important official and personal matters  . Sri Abraham Gurupatham was very intelligent and he was innovative and unassuming .  He was a man of principle and values, humble and honest . I was told  by his son Mr Jeyaraj Abraham that Mr Abraham Gurupatham uplifted many poor and underprivileged people and also had  helped nearly 150 people to get jobs in the T.E.R.L.S  / VSSC mostly from fisher folks. It is written some are born great and some achieve greatness.and Sri Abraham Gurupatham belonged to the second category .His self elevation from a very ordinary background without any uncles  and cousins to help him , to enviable places and  heights deserves our appreciation . With a salute to  Engineer  Abraham Gurupatham I end this write up 

END

By . Babu Manoharan, M.A, [ All rights are reserved. This Article will be modified, enlarged or corrected later if needed ] .















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