Thomas Chandy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thomas Chandy
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| Minister for Transport, Government of Kerala | |
| In office 1 April 2017 – 15 November 2017 |
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| Preceded by | A. K. Saseendran |
| Succeeded by | A. K. Saseendran |
| Member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 2006 – 20 December 2019 |
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| Constituency | Kuttanad |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 October 1947 Chennamkary, Kingdom of Travancore, Dominion of India (present day Alappuzha, Kerala, India) |
| Died | 20 December 2019 (aged 72) Kadavanthra, Kochi, Kerala, India |
| Political party | Nationalist Congress Party |
| Spouse | Mercy Chandy |
| Children | 3 |
Thomas Chandy (born October 29, 1947 – died December 20, 2019) was an Indian businessman and a politician. He was a member of the Kerala Legislative Assembly, which is like the state parliament in Kerala, India. He represented the Kuttanad area. Thomas Chandy also served as the Transport Minister for the state of Kerala. He was also the head of the Nationalist Congress Party in Kerala. He passed away in Kochi in 2019 due to cancer.
Contents
Who Was Thomas Chandy?
Thomas Chandy was a well-known figure in both business and politics in India. He was known for his work in education and hospitality. He also dedicated time to helping people in his community.
Early Life and Education
Thomas Chandy was born on October 29, 1947, in a place called Chennamkary. His parents were V. C. Thomas and Aleyamma Thomas. He went to school at Devamatha High School in Chennamkary. He also studied at St. Mary's HS Kainakary and Leo XIII English Medium School in Alappuzha. He earned a diploma in Telecommunication Engineering.
Family and Later Years
Thomas Chandy was married to Mercy Chandy. He passed away on December 20, 2019, at the age of 72. He had been battling cancer.
Thomas Chandy's Political Journey
Thomas Chandy had a long and interesting career in politics. He started very early and grew to hold important positions.
Starting in Student Politics
His political journey began when he was a student. He joined the KSU, which is a student political group. By 1970, he became the president of both the KSU and the Youth Congress in Kuttanad. This showed his early leadership skills.
Serving as an MLA and Minister
After some time, he became more active in politics. He joined a political party called the Democratic Indira Congress (Karunakaran), or DIC(K). He was the only member of his party to win a seat in the Legislative Assembly in 2006. This was as part of the UDF alliance. Later, his party joined with the NCP. The NCP then teamed up with the LDF for the 2011 elections.
Thomas Chandy was known for his wealth. When he ran for elections, he declared his assets, which showed he was one of the richest members of the Assembly. He served as the Transport Minister of Kerala for a period. He resigned from this role in November 2017 after some questions were raised about his resort in Alappuzha.
His Business Ventures
Besides politics, Thomas Chandy was a successful businessman. He had interests in different areas, especially education and hotels.
Schools and Resorts
He was the chairman of two Indian public schools in Kuwait: the United Indian School and the Indian Central School. He also ran the Al-Alia International Indian School in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This shows his commitment to education.
Thomas Chandy also owned a significant part of the Lake Palace Resort. This resort is located on the beautiful Punamada Lake in Kerala.
Helping the Community
Thomas Chandy was also known for his efforts to help people and improve communities.
Social Work and Charity
He was involved in social work both in Kuwait and in Kerala. In Kuwait, he helped with a campaign to clean up waste in an area where many people from Kerala lived. He also stepped in to help Indian nurses who had been tricked by a fake job offer in Kuwait.
Thomas Chandy was the chairman of the Daveedputhra Charitable Society. This society worked on many helpful projects. They built houses for people, provided clean sanitation facilities, offered health care, and gave educational support. They also provided other important services to those in need.
