Family Stories

V T George — the steady heart of the tharavad

Vellaringattu Family

V T George Vellaringattu was born on 22 July 1924 in Pala, Kottayam district, Kerala. He raised his family in the ancestral Vellaringattu tharavad, contributed to his parish and community, and remained a steady, gentle presence to every visitor who crossed the threshold of the family home. He passed away on 27 November 2009, survived by his wife Annamma George, four children, and a growing web of descendants who continue to return to Pala for the family reunion each year.

Annamma George — the family's moral centre

Vellaringattu Family

Annamma George Vellaringattu was born on 26 August 1924 and married into the Vellaringattu family of Pala. She raised her children in the tharavad, kept the family home open to visitors and pilgrims, and became the moral centre around which the extended family orbited. She is remembered by her children and grandchildren for her generous kitchen, her Malayalam prayers, and a lifetime of quiet acts of kindness for neighbours, migrant workers and anyone who came asking. She passed away on 2 October 2005; her husband V T George followed four years later. "Her love lives on, her kindness guides us still, and her memory is forever cherished."

The Vellaringattu tharavad at Pala

Vellaringattu Family

For generations, the ancestral Vellaringattu home in Pala has been the place the family returns to. Children grew up within its walls, weddings and baptisms were blessed from its doorstep, and visitors and pilgrims were always welcomed to its table. The tharavad is more than a house — it is the thread that ties together more than three hundred documented members of the family, across Kerala, the Gulf, Europe and America.

The annual family reunion

Vellaringattu Family

Every year, descendants of the Vellaringattu family travel back to Pala for the family reunion — cousins meeting cousins, elders retelling the old stories, and the youngest generation learning the names of those who came before. It is at these gatherings that photographs are shared, recipes are passed down, and the family tree grows another ring.