Empathy is a virtue that few people genuinely possess and Ramani Tharayil is one among them.
The former principal of Bishop Chulaparambil Memorial (BMC) College for Women, Kottayam, she had always been driven by the idea of helping cancer patients.
Following her retirement in 2000, Ramani nursed the idea further and found unfaltering support from her husband Dr KC. Joseph.
Soon, she took to sewing and started making beautiful handiworks out of leftover fabric and cloth material and began to sell these amongst her friends and acquaintances.
The money from the sales was donated by Ramani to various cancer palliative care units in the city on a monthly basis. Word started spreading about her compassionate endeavour, and more people began to flock to her residence at Kaniyamkudil near the college to buy her handcrafted items.
After the demise of her husband in 2003, she began to dedicate all of her time to the cause and found great support from her daughter Priya Mohan and son-in-law Mohan Thomas to pursue her selfless initiative.
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Using only eco-friendly materials, most of Ramani’s craftworks include household utility articles like kitchen towels and fridge handle covers. These days, she takes the help of the Internet to look for new designs and craft methods and is finding better and increased sales.
“I feel the same happiness I used to feel as a principal when my students win or maybe a lot more,” she told Mathrubhumi, a local daily.
At an age where most people would enjoy a peaceful retired life, Ramani has proved that creativity and talent have no age bound nor does selflessness.