25. Leelamma (George) Koshi(1923 - 1989)

 

Two of the first three women engineers at Guindy Engineering College have been introduced, Mrs. E. Lalitha, the first electrical engineer and Thresyamma, the first Chief Engineer in Asia earlier. The third person in the trinity was Leelamma George. Like Chief Engineer Thresya, Leelamma also graduated in Civil Engineering. She was only nineteen years old then.

Leelamma was born in 1923 in a Syrian Christian family in Kerala. Her  father A K George was educated in Britain. Mother's name is Annamma. Because of her father's western education, Leelamma's family was quick to adopt progressive ideas.

In a society where girls are generally not allowed to go for higher studies, Mr. George was a man who broke the norms and insisted on sending their children to higher education. Leelamma, who showed exceptional intelligence, had passed the intermediate examination at the age of 13. Her father wanted his daughter to become a medical doctor. Accordingly, she was admitted to Christian Medical College, Ludhiana in 1938. Hailing from a small village in Kerala in the southern tip of India, and after traveling thousands of miles by train, Leelamma arrived in Punjab when she was barely 13 years old and started her medical education. For a year, she lived with homesickness and other hardships of being separated from her family and living far away. But in the second year, when she had to study the human body by dissecting it in the anatomy class, Leelamma was really troubled. She couldn't bear the anatomy classes. Her parents were worried about her condition. With some difficulty they shifted Leelamma from Ludhiana to Lady Hardinge Medical College in Delhi. But even there she couldn't bear the anatomy classes. Leelamma's medical studies were put on hold and there was no other option. Then as now, engineering was the second profession after medicine for students who were good at learning. Leelamma's father, George, approached Mr. Chacko, who was the principal of Guindi Engineering College at that time, and Leelamma got admission in the engineering college there. That is how Leelamma became a civil engineering student in the same batch as Thresya.

Initially, Leellamma and Thresya did not have a hostel in the college. They initially stayed in a private hostel at St. Thomas Mount in Madras. Lalitha, the first year engineering student, was staying with her parents as they were living in Madras. But when it was the second year, the trio brought their demand for hostel facility to the attention of the college authorities and presented it in a children's magazine in a somewhat dramatic manner. Perhaps the first women's freedom struggle. After that hostel facilities were made available for girls in Guindy Engineering College. So,  at the age of 19, Leelamma along with Thresya and Lalita graduated in engineering.

After graduation, Leelamma returned to Thiruvananthapuram. She joined the Government of the then Travancore Maharani as a Section Officer (now Junior Engineer) in the Public Works Department. Sethu Parvati Bai, the younger sister of the Maharani who was ruling at that time, was ready to send Leelamma to England for higher studies. At that time, she was promised a promotion if she came back after studying in England. The subject they chose was Town Planning. But Leelamma was reluctant to use this opportunity. The reason was that her  father was sick and bedridden.

But the father insisted that his bedridden illness should not ruin his daughter's bright future. Due to his insistence, Leelamma reluctantly joined the job and proceeded to England before completing a year. to study town planning. She  was  not sure whether her beloved father would be alive until she returned. Mr. George died in 1945 before Leelamma completed her  studies and returned from England.

Leelamma returned to India in 1947. India had got independence by then. When they came back, the India they saw was very much different. Even the promises made by the Travancore Raja family were not fulfilled. Work in the Public Works Department was not the only problem.

In 1949, Leelamma married Thomas Koshy, an officer in the Accountant General's Office. He grew up and studied in Kerala itself and she Western educated. Three boys were born in their marriage. All three of them followed their mother's footsteps and became engineers. In the field of Mechanical, Metallurgy and Software Engineering. Leelamma has completed many projects for the development of Thiruvananthapuram city in her career. Planning of flat complexes in the city is one of them. She  paid attention to the construction of the Christian Church in the city. While she  was working, she was also busy with spiritual matters.

In 1978, Leelamma retired from the Public Works Department, Government of Kerala as Assistant Chief Engineer. A few months after quitting her job, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She could be saved by surgery because the disease was diagnosed before it worsened. After that, she focused on spiritual things. She passed away in 1989.

Reference

(1) Roots and Wings: Inspiring Stories of Indian Women in Engineering, Google Books m Shantha Mohan, Notion Press.

(2).https://www.womensweb.in/2020/06/pioneering-indian-women-engineers- international-women-engineers-day-jun20wk4sr/