THE THREAD CONNECTIONS

Ponnu couldn’t believe that her album titled 'THE THREAD CONNECTIONS ' had won the first prize at the Art and Culture festival. She was there to attend the function and receive the award with her family members. 

Who was Ponnu? 

Ponnu was a simple and humble village girl, who never went to school because her parents couldn’t afford to send her due to poverty. So, she worked for daily wages and helped her parents make a living. However, she was intelligent and had a quick grasping power, which enabled her to learn anything quickly.

Whenever she had time, she spent it with the elderly people of her village, as she felt she could learn a lot from them due to their experiences. She had the chance to learn crochet and knitting from an elderly woman. With her intelligence, she mastered the art quickly, but didn’t have the money to buy threads and needles. She used to come back home, pick up old clothes, tear them, and with the help of a long nail, create wonderful creations.

Ponnu and her family 

Life went on, and she got married to a teacher who worked in a government school. Then, Ammu and Amudan were born. Ponnu carried a small trunk with her, which was always kept locked. Her husband felt it was her personal belongings, so he never interfered. Ponnu's financial status slowly and gradually improved. She saved a little portion of her monthly expenditure and bought threads and needles. She never stopped creating new ones with unique designs, and as soon as they were done, she kept them in her trunk and locked it.

One night, her husband woke up to a thud sound. He saw Ponnu was still awake, sitting near her trunk, and doing something. Her husband got angry seeing that and asked her to come and sleep. He was curious to know about the trunk and finally asked her. With hesitation, she opened it and showed him the stuffed trunk with her ultimate creations of crochet and knitting. He was speechless, looking at her skills. He asked her how she managed to do so. She said it was a secret life skill taught by an elderly woman in her village through crocheting and knitting. Though her husband wasn’t convinced, he just smiled at her and left.

The Turning Point

He called his children one day and spoke about their mom. The children said there was an announcement in their school regarding an Art and Cultural Festival happening in the city, and they would inquire about it. The next day, Ammu came with a registration form with particulars to be filled to participate in the festival. They managed to convince their mom, and made an attractive album titled 'THE THREAD CONNECTIONS' by Ponnu herself to display for the public and the organizers to judge the best one under the category 'Thread and Needle'.

At the function, Ponnu’s name was announced to come to the stage to accept the prize. Ponnu felt goosebumps all over her body, and her eyes were filled with tears, as she approached the stage. The public gave her a thundering applause. While receiving the award. After thst she was asked to say a few words about her success.

Ponnu's Life's Success Mantra 

Ponnu started her speech by thanking the village woman who was the reason behind her success and the one who taught her a precious lesson. She narrated her life's journey, and before she concluded, she said, 'In life, we have to handle many situations, people, and their emotions. I did have many, and whenever I had, I would start knitting or crocheting. Each knot describes my life situations, anger management, frustrations, and people around me. I have been practicing daily, so I could maintain good health, peace, and harmony within me to keep my family happy.' She requested the audience to try to develop at least one skill in their life too. The moment she concluded, her husband, who was sitting amongst the audience, stood first and gave her a standing ovation.

- Saradha