Dr George Joseph Themplangad, is the son of Dr T. V. Jose, founder of Alphonsa Hospital in Changanacherry, Kerala, India, who was from the first class to graduate from Kasturba Medical college, Manipal / Mangalore, an Ivy league medical school in India.  His dad was also the charter president of both the Rotary Club of Changanacherry as well as the Jaycees or the junior chamber of commerce. His mother Mrs. Marykutty Jose, a former president of the inner wheel club affiliated to Rotary international. His parents have set a great example for him, in having always been leaders in the cmmunity, when it came to matters of health, education, ethics and service.

 

Dr George, as he is called and known at times, among other AKA Dr Joseph, Dr. Georgie, Georgekutty, had his high school education at a branch of the famous Montfort High School in Yercaud, located in BHEL campus at Trichy and was called RSK Higher Secondary School, managed then by the Brothers of St Gabriel. The school was rated among the best in India, and has had top rank holders including the first rank in the all India Higher Secondary examination, on a national basis.

 

Dr George does credit his school, and it's founder principal Rev Bro Camillous, for the value system, such as a sense of social responsiblity, respect for people of all religions and culture, love of India, appreciation of clean surroundings, gardens, importance of being a positive member in a team and most importantly punctuality.  The school had great events such as the annual sports day, which was modelled on the Olympics, teaching everyone, the values of sportsmanship, the spirit of participation based on ethics, truth and friendship.  "Charecter was built into us at RSK through our social interactions on the sports and games field, as much as in the classroom, to great benefit" says Dr George, as he reminences the early formative years.

 

George, like his father studied for MBBS, at the famous Kasturba Medical College, and he was the first of the second generation to study there, earning the petname, "Grandson of KMC", from Dr T. M. A Pai, the founder of the uniquely successful, globally acclaimed educational institutions called the Manipal group of institutions, which has now gone onto become a university. Manipal offered a global community of students even in those days, and George got great exposure to students from various parts of the world, and Manipal was a home in more ways than one, for George. Completing his clinical studies at Mangalore, at the Wenlock hospital and KMC Mangalore, George during the days of emergency in India came of age, sort of, at medical college, with the awareness that politics and healthcare were sort of unhealthy partners, as he observed the very unclean streets and garbage conditions.  Even though the text books of public health, social and community medicine books taught him and the other students how dangerous the conditions were, and what was needed to be attended to, "in theory only", they never seemed to be practiced it if at all. 

 

" Management, administrators and politicians who were in charge of things as leaders seemed to be failing in their task totally. ... even today as then".   This caused great concern and awakening in the minds of the young medical student, who even in those early days, was determined to do something about public health, hygine and sanitation in India, if he ever to got a chance to do anything about it.  Dr George felt strongly that the excess of the emergency such as compulsory sterilization were a violation of fundamental human rights, as well as medical ethics, creating in George, a search for justice in the public forum and an admiration for democracy and its values, be it in science, medicine, technology, international affairs or huaan development. The right to information, transparency and the ability to redress as exemplified by Gandhiji, became a hallmark of his outlook.

 

 

Dr George then during his internship at Kottayam medical college, went to meet and then work with Mother Teresa and her organization in Calcutta. He met Mother, who has been his guiding inspiration and mentor ever since that fateful meeting in Bangalore in 1980, May 20 th, a day etched out in gold.  Dr George spend that whole day with Mother, who was visitng Bangalore. Before he saw her off at the airport to Calcutta, he got a personal letter of introduction from Mother, which he cherishes and treasures as among his greatest possession, and reason for inspiration even to this very day. 

 

He went to calcutta, with the letter of introduction from Mother Teresa, lived with the Missionaries of Charity, and worked as a volunteer for about 4 months.  He visited various homes of Mother Teresa in West Bengal, got a face to to face experiance of human suffering, pain and ill health as one could see in the Calcutta of the early 1980's.  A very purplexed and sad George, said to himself, "Another doctor is not going to be able to solve these problems... we need better management..., must get management education, an MBA if anything is to be done to find a practical solution to these national challenges...in these modern day and age"  The medical college in Kottayam, a state medical school, where he was doing his internship at the time, had gross lack of basic equipements and facilities, even though there were qualified and excellant doctors.  George knew and determined then that "management was the answer or rather the lack of good management was the problem".

 

After working at a few hospitals in South India, George landed in New Delhi at the time of the Asian games in 1992.  He worked in the community outreach program of a local non-profit group, visited various poor neigbourhoods to examine and educate children at balwadies in all of New Delhi's out reaching communiies.  He worked at UNICEF as a volunteer, given a special desk at the New Delhi regonal office of UNICEF, as an outcome of his successful efforts as president of Delhi Capital Jaycees, in promoting public health and education. He made his first formal attempt at management education, dong a 1 year diploma cource in health care Administration, ( DHA) offered by a leading non-profit organization. Just before taking the final exams, George got an invitation to attend the World Health Assembly of WHO in Geneva, Switzerland, based on his work with the World federation of UN associations, of which George was a very active member in New Delhi.

 

He attended the World Health Asembly, a unique and spectacular event, an eye opener for George, his first trip outside India.  Exposure to the Western world, and of all places, crispy clean Geneva Switzerland. His participation evinced much interest from many international delegates, that he was invited to attend, the International Health Conference, organized by NCIH ( National Council for International Health ) in Washington DC.  George crossed the pond, ( Atlantic Ocean ) unplanned, unexpectedly and providentially, on a Swissair First class ticket, curtesy of benefactors from The Rockefeller Foundation and Merck pharmaceuticals, who took a personal interest - in the young dynamic "we must make a difference, Mother Teresa inspired volunteering young doctor".

 

Suffice to say, one thing led to another, and soon, George was a return visitor to US and he secured admission to Lubin Graduate School of Business at Pace University to do his MBA, taking International Business as his major.  A long felt dream began to take shape.  Years of struggle and study got him his MBA in 1990.  All his research projects were focussed on India, at a time when India was not on the radar for many.  Even though Dr George had left India behind, as he was studying and subsequently living in New York, India always remained close and deep in his heart, soul and mind.  He went to any and every India related conference or event, and spoke of India and its issues, problems, opportunities, past and future everywhere.  No one bothered to take him seriously.  Yet he made sense and he always spoke for greater involvement in India, by NRI's and he always said it was NRI's such as Gandhiji, Nehru, Ambedker and Dr Radhakrishnan, as well as other great thinkers that made modern India possible.  All of them his heros.

 

Dr George was among the early Indian Americans to work on Wall Street, securing a highly competitive position in investment banking, as an associate in Corporate finance and medical venture capital, in 1990, on his graduation from Pace University. He got his MBA graduation diploma at the famous stage in Radio City Music Hall, where Pace University held its commencement and graduation ceremony, in June of 1990.

 

Subsequent efforts at being an entreprenuer and dozens of trips arround the world led Dr George after stints in America's heartland, to Washington DC in 1997.  4 years there, and that too at a crucial time, in India - America relations during President Clinton's second term in office, found George in the thick and thin of matters arround and inside the beltway. Promoting India-US relationship, at various forums and events.  Dr George was instrumental in some crucial behind the scenes negotiations and facilitations, before the crucial first visit of Prime Minister Mr A. B. Vajpayee to Washington DC, after India went nuclear, causing much consternation in policy. 

 

 Ambassador Sreenivasan, who was in Washington DC as Deputy Ambassador of Indian embassy, who spoke at hundreds of meetings to diplomatically tackle the 301 issues following the Indian nuclear tests, credits Dr George as having been the innovator of the term "Nuclear Sathyagraha".  A term that Dr George used at a meeting Indian Embassy called, to brainstorm and address the concerns including that of NRI's, to come up with ideas to tackle matters with good public relations, to describe India's diplomatic position in strategic relations and nuclear deterence, in policy forums.

 

After the Gujrat earthquake Dr George spoke in terms of the need for better disaster management education and training at Indian medical colleges.  His ideas found favour with a famous and century old medical school, and he went in 2001 February to India and joined CMC Ludhiana as the execute Director and Manager, Strategic Planning.  There too his focus was on improving public health matters on campus and the the role of medical education and medical leadership to attend to public health issues.  

 

Returning to new York, after his efforts at CMC found limited results, George was re-acclimatizing to New York city after a decade of being away from there, when 9/11 happened.  Dr George was on WTC 1 a few weeks before the unfortunate episode on the 55 th floor, where Pace University had a whole floor.  He was to have visited the WTC and the 55 th floor any day, the week on the unfortunate episode.  Dr George is of the firm belieif that Providence, the plan of God kept him from harm's way on that fateful day....  yet again, it was public health, saftey, hygeine that kept making its relevence. 

 

Human rights, democracy, respect for people of all religion, color and nationality, that Dr George found important, all became matters on centerstage, as America went from being a victim to .......  ???  Painful days of discrimination, chaos in Iraq and loss of lives and limbs on daily basis, due to war, has the doctor in George, agonized, pained and sad.  Dr George strongly feels that all issues must be addressed peacefully at UN or other forums and that harmony, peace crucial to Human development, health and wellbeing must be the focus, not war.  Gandhiji and the ways of the Mahatma, are his answer to the current crisis.....

 

Returning back to India Dr George established a non-profit organization, called American Indian Kerala Nevada Trust ( AKT ) to deal with 3 areas, namely Higher Education, Tourism and Public Health. As part of public health, Dr George has urged repeatedly the importance of waste management in India and the eco friendly approach so crucial to our very survival as a species,  in addition to the survival of Planet Earth as well, "whom" he feels is aging, and it shows.. " Mother Earth is getting there in age, and we better treat her good....".  

 

This triangular synergy, he thinks is crucial to economy and social development.  Influenced by John Ruskin and "Unto this last", a classic that influenced gandhiji, Dr george does feel that global economy, climate change, health, ecology, education, peace, non-violence, eating habits, clean air, clean water, life close to nature, a simple life with high thinking, are all inter-related. Good thinking is conducive to a life of purpose and it is exciting to be able to live life at a pace that is suitable to one's chemistry.  "Slow down and take it easy, relax, think, have fun, be kind, smile, eat right, become enlightened, seek the divine within by all means that make us all become a renaissance kind of person....." is his mantra.

 

On Gandhi Jayanthi, Oct 2 nd, 2006, on arriving at his home town Changanacherry in Kerala, by train from Bangalore, Dr George made a firm resolution to address the railway toilet issue.  He called a mentor and took advice and proceeded to prepare to file a case, taking over 30 days to study, research and draft the petition.  Rest is history... as it is unfolding, and he seeks each and every one as a partner in this all too important a task. 

 

It is just the beginning.  We have a lot of **** to clean up.

 

Dr George is a graduate of mountaineering, from the world's premier instute in India, called Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, established by Prime Minister Nehru, on Tenzing and Hillary climbing Mt Everest.

 

Dr George has worked as a volunteer on numerous relief operations including during and after the riots following Mrs Gandhi's assassination, in New Delhi.  On this effort he was delegated to recieive Mother teresa at the airport, on her arrival tothe city, that was still burning.  George belieives that Mother teresa was very instrumental in bringing calm and peace to the city in those dark days of 1984.

 

Dr George has a business consultancy and is involved in developing a holistic health resort, through his own firm, to be based in Kerala.  he is keen to develop medical tourism and to have an ideal place and setting for people who want to healing of body, mind and soul.

 

Dr George is determined to find alternate technologies, to address the rail puboic health issue in India.  "Polio is transmitted through the feaco-oral route and if we are to eradicate the disease, we must pay attention to this issue, and no amount of vaccination alone approach will solve the issue", says he.  Please get involved... it is critical and crucial