Oral History Interview with Koshy Thomas

DESCRIPTION
Born to a blind parent in Kerala, India, Koshy Thomas came to New York, USA in 1971. He had experience in business in India where he was working in his father's family business. He came to Houston, Texas, as his wife, a nurse, got a job in the VA hospital. Soon he started a franchise with the Minuteman Press, and started making rubber and leather stamps, which worked well. He then moved to Typesetting, and started his own newspaper, "Voice of Asia" in 1987, and got a contract from PBS to publish "Living Smart." Koshy speaks about the fantastic growth of Houston from the Rice Village to the throbbing Hillcroft area. Initially, his hurdle was the language barrier, but he found the people very friendly. Koshy Thomas is married to Mani for 48 years, and has three daughters, all lawyers, and two grandchildren. He sees a bright future for the Indian immigrants in Houston, as they are mostly educated, if they are willing to do hard work and be law abiding. Although a Catholic, he is involved in the Meenakshi Temple and the India Culture Center in Houston.

ADDITIONAL METADATA
Date: December 17, 2011
Type: Oral History
Creator: Foundation for India Studies Inc.
Contributor: Nik Nikam
Location: Houston, Texas

PROVENANCE
Holding Institution: Houston Metropolitan Research Center
Collection: Foundation for India Studies Indo-American Oral History Project (Houston)
Item History: 2020-12-01 (created); 2020-12-01 (modified)

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