“Dreams are not that which you see in sleep, it is something that does not let you sleep.”
The life of Dr. Abraham Kalamannil is synonymous with the famous quote of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. He began seeing dreams in his early childhood and ever since that, he was struggling to make those dreams into reality. He had a very humble beginning in a small rustic village at Kadammanitta, in Pathanamthitta District of Kerala.
Although his childhood was not colourful, his parents inculcated in him a deep faith in God, which he is always proud of. After passing the school final examination (SSLC) young Abraham went to Mumbai (Bombay), to brush his fate with the harsh realities of life. Mumbai was the heaven for young people from Kerala at that time. That was the main reason for Mr Abraham going to Mumbai for getting a job.
From Mumbai he moved to Pune, a city in making at that time. While working in Pune, he continued his education by burning the midnight lamp. It was in Pune that his life had a providential turn. Mr. Abraham spent a major part of his life in the US, doing business. Although he became affluent and enterprising, he always cherished his childhood days, when he was without any resources. Instead of squandering his money on the luxuries of life, he thought of investing in his native land and that too in the field of education. He wanted to give the society what was denied to him when he was a child. He always had faith that God will not let him down and was confident about his vision. His mission was that whatever we do is for the glory of the Kingdom of God and the uplift of the society.
On coming back from the US he had some definite plans in his mind. He established a Charitable Society by the name “The Charitable Educational and Welfare Society” (Reg No. Q 373/83) in Kadammanitta in 1983, the village where he was born and where he had spent his childhood. His first venture in the field of education was starting a school with just 20 students and two teachers in a small building in Kadammanitta. It was a humble start, but God’s guidance and grace were with him. God had greater plans for his endeavours. The school slowly expanded and has become a full-fledged secondary school, affiliated to the Council of Indian School Certificate Examination (ICSE), New Delhi. That was only the beginning for Dr. Abraham Kalamannil. Slowly his educational institutions grew one after another, all under the banner “The Charitable Educational and Welfare Society”. The founder and Chairman of Mount Zion Group of Institutions, Dr. Abraham Kalamannil is a man of extraordinary vision and determination. He was a member of the Syndicate of the Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam for 3 years. In recognition of his contributions to the field of Education in the rural areas, he has been awarded the World Malayalee Excellence Award, by the govt. of Kerala and Rashra Seva Award, both in 2008. He was also honoured with an honorary Doctorate Degree by the Middle East University in Ras Al Khaima, in 2013. His undaunted faith in the Almighty God and his untiring determination and willpower make him capable of guiding the Group to new heights in the 21st century.