Hobbies keep 81-year-old S. Gangabhai occupied as her routine visits to the neighborhood temple have reduced. She often turns to painting and tailoring to beat the lockdown blues. There is now a social element to her pursuit of tailoring as a hobby.
She has stitched and distributed three-layered cloth masks to relatives, friends and conservancy workers for free. Earlier, she would use her tailoring skills primarily for stitching herself blouses.
At Annai Indira Nagar in Velachery, where she lives, she is known as “Kovil Pati”, as she frequents this temple, not a day passing without a visit in the morning and another in the evening.
She helps out in the temple.
Due to the pandemic, this routine has taken a beating.
Being a senior-citizen, she had been confining herself to the safety of her home. Only since September 1, when lockdown restrictions were significantly relaxed, has she been visiting the temple. Considering her safety, her family ensures these visits are not frequent. Nor is she allowed to spend as much time at the temple as before.
Passion for painting
Her son S. Kumararaja, a civic activist, says, “Now she spends much of her time drawing, painting and stitching. Even at this age she does Tanjore painting and glass painting. She learnt the art of drawing from her father who was a drawing master in a school and a freedom fighter. While doing embroidery, she can thread the needle without wearing spectacles.”