Prisons to Place: An incredible Story

“I was deeply moved by an awe-inspiring testimony of a young man who climbs the ladder of success with his sheer determination and strong faith in God. He lost his hope at his childhood itself; being his shattered family background dragged him to miseries and worries. He had nothing to boast off as his paternal pedigree was clutched by mental illness and his maternal ancestors were nomads striven for sustenance. He dreamt for a job which can fetch at least 250 rupees a month while he was struggling as a rubber tapper in the nearby estate. My eyes became welled-up when listening to his words; “While I move from one tree to other to tap, I cursed my birth and pitied myself. I thought, my life would not have been like this if there is a God”. But everything turned down after a few years! Meet Mr. John Kuriakose, Founder and Managing Director, Dent Care Dental Lab; Largest Dental Lab in Asia and his journey from a peon to an entrepreneur who gives job to around 2500 people.” 

Paul V Mathew writes……….

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From Bitterness to Blessedness

From poverty to prosperity, from tears to triumphs, from catastrophe   to crown; what else to describe this incredible story! It was in the wake of an award ceremony ever in the dental industry constituted to honor real contributors, distributed by the former President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. Mr. John Kuriakose was the first among them.

Withered Childhood

While majority doesn’t like to probe in to their past, John has a different nature who is always fascinated to share his sad state of humble affairs. He has nothing to proud off while looking at his past; only distressing moments and tiring days and nights. His father’s and mother’s family had a history of mental illness and traces of hunger and poverty. His mother recollects the day she wandered with her mother and received alms from John’s family. He has a brother Saju; people called them “fighting brothers’ being they were always involved in quarrels during their childhood. Mr. John said “It is in my memory as today; my father sits in the road side near to my school as a “mentally abnormal and violent figure”;with saliva clad-long beard. When we come out from the class during interval time, friends look at our father and say “see lunatic Kuriako” and call us ‘sons of mad Kuriako’. Our heads became bowed down and filled with despair and agony”.  

Struggling with a traumatic life

He continued his schooling with his empty belly and ragged clothes. They found difficult to meet both ends of their life being their parents were working in nearby homes as daily wagers. He can’t forget the days where he and his two brothers eagerly wait to have the ‘thrown away food’ bring by their mother in an earthen bowl. Even every cruel hearts will break down when listen to his childhood perils; “having meat or fish was a far dream for us; hence we long for to attend marriage functions if any. I remember the hard days where my mother collects debris of fish which left by my neighbors and prepare for us”.  Mr. John recollects.

He still remembers his uncle chained in wooden blocks being he was a psychotic.  His father had to take twelve medicines a day. At utmost despair, his mother tried to commit suicide thrice. Once she put her fingers in to an electric socket lamenting her incapability to see her children become mentally invalid once.

However, he was very studious in studies and behaved very politely to others. “I used to wake up around 3’O Clock everyday for by-hearting lessons.  Though I struggled hard to brighten in studies dreamt for a bright future, all my efforts went vain as I seemed a block headed. My hard work was not enough to bear any fruits. In1983, I ended my career as SSLC with a mark of 259 out of six hundred”; John says. Further, he was forced continue his life as a rubber tapper in a nearby estate.

Circumstances made him a victim of inferiority complex being they were a subject of ridicule. His botherations about future augmented day by day and anxieties haunted him as a demon. It clouded like desperation and disappointment that gradually taken away all his hopes for future. While moving from one rubber to other as a tapper, he thought “there is no God, if there is a God, our lives would not have been like this”. With utmost agony, he desired to get job which can earn at least 250 ruppees a month.

Turning Point

While inching their hard days, his mother got an invitation to attend a meeting at Kolenchery. Her family was very reluctant to attend such events as they have a lot to claim about their religious heritage. Also, people felt very shame such practices during that time. But she was touched by the experiences of the person who invited her to the gathering. Even though she expressed her nod to attend the meeting; she had neither money nor clothes with her. Understanding their miseries, the man who invited her offered a few sum as bus fare. Borrowing a cloth from her neighbor, she went for the meeting.

Mr. John saw her mother’s smiling face at first! She seen very peaceful and calm. Such a radical change enticed John too. The very first day itself at the meeting, all his worries vanished away. He considers this day as a turning point in his life. Once withered life started to blossom! John once noted “it was the beginning of a journey from famine to feast, from nothingness to fullness, from bitterness to blessedness and from tears to triumph”. Happiness and joy erupted to their home. Subsequently, his whole family became regular attendees of the meeting.  His father became delivered from all the demons and flew like a child with enthusiasm and gratitude

A few days after, he got a job in a dental clinic at Muvatupuzha as a peon which was the first stepping stone to his unending success. He worked as a dedicated and faithful employee that pleased the management to promote him as a chairside dental assistant, which enabled him to understand the nuances dentistry. It was from the regular seen of doctors striving hard to seat ill- fitting crowns and bridges, the idea sparked in the mind of John of fabricating crowns and bridges with precision and perfection. He was not ready to wait for long. He moved to Balaji Dental College, Chennai with his six years hard earned money and completed a course in dental technician along with part-time jobs. Keeping his dream in mind, he worked hard days and nights with sheer determination and perseverance. In 1988, he set up a lab in a small room at Muvattupuzha that now grown up to a Multi National Company and the largest Dental lab in Asia having a staff strength of around 2500.

Being he had a passion to set up a lab with global standards, Mr. John traveled around the world to grab the most recent trends and technology in dentistry and received training from countries such as US, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, Austria, Denmark etc.

Life Changing Lessons

When someone asks about the key behind his success; without any second thought I would say “Strong Faith in God, Hard Work, Sincerity and Humbleness”. Lo and behold, I was amazed many times by his humbleness and his willingness to be a part of people at grass root level. To call a spade a spade, the meeting he attended was the real reason behind the drastic change and all the blessings he experienced in his life.  Mr. John says; “I was deeply moved by the words of Prof. Yohannan, the President of Christian Revival Fellowship (CRF) (www.crfgospel.org ) which are engraved in my inner hearts- “If one leads a sinless holy life before JESUS CHRIST, God will fulfill the ambitions in his life.” ‘‘Humility and fear for the Lord, lead a man to riches, honour and long life”. He continued.  Beyond any suspicion, he believed what Bible says “God – who lifteth up the meek and raiseth up the poor”.

PRAISE THE LORD