Pambadi: Seventy-seven-year-old Amminiamma has proved that age is just a number. The septuagenarian is a second-year student of the Fashion Designing and Garments Technology course at the Government Technical Secondary School at Velloor in Kottayam district.
When the bell rings, the uniform-clad Amminiamma takes her seat in the front row. A resident of Thiruvathukkal near Kottayam town, Aminniamma had retired as the District Employment Officer in 2001. Though she was interested in fashion technology during her younger years, she could not learn it. She was a teacher at a private school for a while, and later she joined government service.
Even then, she never let go off her dream of fashion designing. Soon after her retirement from government service, she started learning about clothes and various garments.
What helped Amminiamma to realise her dream is that there is no upper-age limit to enrol for the fashion designing course at the Velloor school.
She joined for the two-year course, conducted by the Department of Technical Education, last year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she attended her first-year class online.
School superintendent A P Anish as well as teachers Sabina and Faby are giving all support to this senior student. After completing the course, Amminiamma aims to start a venture with a collection of garments designed by her.
Her husband (late) Vijayakrishnan Nair was the Malappuram District Employment Officer. Anupama (Technopark) and Jayamohan (US) are their children.