Shinu Clare Mathews Chamakala became a celebrity in Kerala recently when she carried out an adventurous skydive from a height of 15,000 feet to collect aid for the victims of the Wayanad landslide. However, Shinu has already been an inspiration for expatriates who seek to make a mark for themselves in distant lands.
Hailing from the tiny village of Ilappani at Ayarkunnam in Kottayam district of Kerala, Shinu reached the UK 22 years ago and started working in a care home in Manchester. Now aged 53, Shinu is the owner of three care homes in the UK.
For expatriates, especially in the UK, Shinu is a person who supports the education of nursing students, an employer of hundreds of Malayalis, an adventurous woman who skydived thrice from 15,000 feet to collect funds for charity and a businessperson who serves typical Malayali cuisine abroad. Shinu, who has carved her own path, still continues to pursue her dreams by sheer hard work.
Shinu arrived in the UK in 2002 after completing her nursing course from Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi. Her first job in the UK was at a care home and, within a year, she became a registered nurse. Meanwhile, Shinu also worked as the care home manager for some time and the experience gained led her to start her own care home.
Shinu took the first step into the business in 2018 and received good support from her two sisters, Dr Shiny Sanu and Shine Siju, a nurse, who dedicated their time and money for the new venture. Shinu also used her savings, but on finding that the money was still insufficient, took out a bank loan. Finally, Shinu’s first care home opened in the UK and she named it ‘Clare Mount’ after her mother, Claramma. Two years later, Shinu took over two more care homes and named them Angel Mount and Zion Mount. A majority of the employees at these care homes, which offer solace to people affected by dementia, are Malayalis.
Presently, Shinu is also the UK National Working President of the Overseas Indian Cultural Congress.
First skydive
Shinu’s first skydive took place in 2017 and its aim was fund collection to support 100 youngsters in Kerala to study nursing. This was an initiative implemented along with the British Malayali Charitable Trust. Incidentally, Shinu had never even enjoyed a ride on a giant wheel till then and was the oldest person to carry out the dive that day. Still, she had no hesitation in diving from 15,000 feet to help the children’s studies. In addition to the sponsorship amount, Shinu received contributions from her staff at the care home and friends who collected money by conducting programmes such as ‘palada’ and biriyani challenges.
The pursuit
In 2022, Shinu carried out her second dive, again to collect funds for educational purposes. This time, she donated around Rs 10 lakh to students in Kerala.
Shinu also took part in a ‘three-peak challenge’ in 2021 as part of her initiative to collect funds. This challenge involved scaling three mountain peaks within 24 hours.
Her latest skydive took place in September this year, for helping children who lost their parents in the Wayanad tragedy, and she donated Rs 10 lakh for the cause.
Activities in Kerala
Meanwhile, the house in Ayarkunnam that Shinu and her sisters inherited from their parents C N Mathew and Claramma has been turned into a charitable trust named ‘Santhwanam.’ Its first programme in Kerala was donating dialysis kits to 100 needy patients. Currently, the trust is building four houses for poor people. Shinu’s next plan is to convert the house into a care home for elderly people in memory of her youngest sister Shinurani, who died in a road accident while a student.
Tiffin Box restaurants
Yet another venture launched by Shinu is a chain of ‘Tiffin Box’ restaurants, which is aimed at serving authentic Kerala cuisine to Malayali expatriates. Visitors to places like Dubai, Sharjah and Coventry in the UK may now notice restaurants from where the aroma of ‘pothichoru’ (rice meal packed in a plantain leaf) wafts out. The Tiffin Box restaurants are managed by Shinu’s elder son Sharon Sajeev. Her younger son Shawn Sajeev is a student in the UK and a good singer.