Kuwait City: Kuwait-based Indian expat education leader and Bhavans Middle East founder NK Ramachandran Menon passed away in Kerala on Wednesday, September 30. He was 78.
His last rites were held at the family home in Aluva, Kerala, on Thursday, October 1. Principals, administrative managers and teachers from Bhavans schools in the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain travelled to Kerala to attend the funeral.
His death was mourned by the Bhavans community and members of the Indian business and professional community in the Gulf. The Indian Business and Professional Council (IBPC) expressed sorrow over his death and extended condolences to his family and the wider Bhavans community.
Menon is survived by his wife and two children, who are based in the UAE and associated with the Bhavans group.
All schools under the group closed early on Thursday as a mark of respect. Students attended condolence assemblies and prayers before being dismissed.
Career and Bhavans legacy
Menon moved to Kuwait in 1969 as a banker and went on to build a network of educational institutions serving the Indian community across the Gulf.
He initiated the idea of bringing Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan to the Middle East in 2000 and opened the Indian Educational School (IES – Bhavans Kuwait) in 2006.
Under his leadership, the Bhavans network expanded across Kuwait, the UAE and Bahrain. According to his family, the group now operates nine schools and two early-years centres across the three countries, serving thousands of students. Its latest institution, Pearl Heritage School in Abu Dhabi, opened in August.
The network includes Bhavans Abu Dhabi, Al Saad Indian School in Al Ain, Bahrain Indian School, The Smart Indian School in Kuwait and Bhavans Pearl Wisdom schools in Al Ain, Dubai and Sharjah.
Menon also spearheaded the group’s expansion in education and information and communication technology (ICT), promoting value-based education and the preservation of Indian culture, art and philosophy.
His work in the Gulf was an extension of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s wider educational mission. Founded in India in 1938 by K M Munshi, the organisation promotes Indian education, culture and values through its institutions in India and overseas.
