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LILA'S EMBROIDERY WORK
I had been the Manager of the Accounts Division at Kollam. Since the job profile demanded my presence at Kollam itself I took up residence there. Lila who was working at Trivandrum retired from her office in 2007.
Since I was staying alone at Kollam, she came up to Kollam to stay with me.
As I had to stay late in the office she was l alone at our house from 9.00 am till around 8.00pm.
Of course, she had enough time to watch the TV and read. But one day she told me she was finding it absolutely boring the whole day.
The next day, while at the office Ms Jayasree, who was my colleague, came to me and showed me the painting she had done on her Saree. It looked grand. I asked her how she had learned the art. She said she learned it from Usha School of Fashion Technology, Chinnakada. I took the contact information of the School from her.
In the evening, at home, I handed over the information to Lila.
The next day, she went over to the School and joined for four courses there.
Well, she started attending the classes from the following day. It took an year. She completed the course culmimating with passing the exams with commendation.
We met Ms Jayasree afterwards and had profusely expressed our gratitude for providing a sense of direction and a purpose in life for Lila.
Back at Trivandrum, we went over to the shop 'Ramla' at East Fort and bought an Embroidery Machine.
She began in earnest.
She would go to the Textile Shops and buy plain Sarees for carrying out embroidery work.
A few of the Sarees she kept for herself. The rest she happily gifted to her friends and relatives.
She still does that.
She was finding joy in the creative work that she took to after retirement.
She maintains anyone can do this.
The Saree in the pictures display her own painstaking effort. She wore it to a gathering of her classmates of MA English Batch. She told me her friends were astounded by her work on the Saree. "It is beautiful', was their reaction in unison, she said.
They had a good time. They flew back to their College days forgetting everything else.
There was a glow on her face when she returned. I said they must organise such get-togethers more often.
Not a connoisseur of art, even to me, the embroidery work on the saree looked exceptional.
I took a few pictures. To me, it blended beautifully with the environment..
We agreed it was all because of Ms.Jayasree.
We cannot forget her ever.
