Checha George was born in 1898 in Kerala, India to T. D. George, a Methodist lay preacher. Receiving her education during the British rule of India, she attended school in Madras, studying economics and English History and earning her bachelor's and master's degrees. George also earned a medal for playing tennis and continued to play even after her marriage and move to Singapore, wearing her sari on the courts. She joined the YWCA Association in 1916, adopting their mission to improve education opportunities for women and girls. She also served as a lay preacher for the Methodist church. George became a school teacher and was employed at the Women's Christian College in Madras. On 3 April 1925 at Madras, she married E. V. Davies (Edward Vethanayagam), of Singapore's Outram Road School, and returned with him to Singapore.
