My grandfather told me about how he started a school for the poor and helped them, as well as creating a hotel called the Hotel Rugby, which also assisted the poor.
My grandfather had the help of his parents to create a hotel called the Hotel Rugby in Matheran during the 1940s. It is located 100 km from Mumbai. The people of Matheran would work in the hotel, so they could earn money for a living. In those days, my great-grandmother was staying in the hotel and one day said to my grandfather, “Look, we have had this hotel for so many years, we must do something for these poor families who are staying but not earning enough. We should send their children to a good school,” she told my grandfather. My grandfather then requested many people to help set up the school. It was hard to get permission from the government. Initially, they did not build the whole school together; one classroom at a time was built. A classroom, a kitchen, were all being built one by one. It took them 4-5 years to finish the work. A residential school was inaugurated in 1990, in Jumma Patti near Matheran. The school today has grades 1-10, and educates over 450 students.
With the sole aim of educating the people of Matheran, the Mathuram Charitable Trust was founded by my grandfather, Mahendra Thacker, in memory of his father, Ramanlal Thacker. Today this trust manages the school.
Story written by
Zain Thacker