Former GIS Principal passes away in India

The Times Kuwait Report

Mrs. Shyamala Divakaran, the founding principal of Gulf Indian School (GIS) in Fahaheel, Kuwait, passed away on July 17 in her hometown in Kerala at the age of 78, she is survived by her husband and two children, Dr. Aruna and Dr. Rajeev.

Spanning a career of over five decades of education in Kuwait she was well respected and widely admired for her unwavering commitment to academic excellence and community values. Mrs Divakaran began her career in Kuwait at the Mangaf Indian School in the early 1970s.

Mrs. Divakaran played a pioneering role in establishing GIS in 1994 responding to a growing demand for quality CBSE education, she established the school to cater to the Indian community demands.

Mrs Divakaran instilled strict academic standards while fostering an environment rich in compassion and cultural vibrancy; championing the holistic development, emphasizing co-curricular activities like arts, sports, and cultural programs.

She retired in 2022, concluding a transformative tenure in GIS that spanned over 25 years. The GIS management described her as “the soul of GIS — a woman whose quiet strength, radiant kindness, and steadfast vision transformed education into something sacred.”

Under her guidance, the school became not just a place of learning but a nurturing home for thousands of students and a symbol of cultural unity for the Indian community in Kuwait.

Mrs. Divakaran’s career is a powerful reminder of the profound difference one educator can make. Her legacy lives on in every student she mentored, every milestone she shaped, and in the continued success of the institution she built with heart and vision. May her memory continue to inspire generations to come.

Mrs Divakaran’s funeral procession will held on Sunday, July 20, in Paravur and the body will be cremated by 2 pm.