A nonagenarian who turns beads and threads into elegant rosaries

Rosary making is not an easy job as it is meticulous and requires good eyesight and manual dexterity.

Idukki: Age does not really matter when it comes to pursuing a new hobby and ninety-four-year-old Mary Ammachi clearly proves this theory.

What keeps her active now is making of holy rosaries, a new hobby which she has discovered recently to fill the empty hours.

A die-hard fan of megastar Mammootty, Mary Ammachi picked beads and threads four months ago and, so far, she has made over 1,500 rosaries. She gave all of them away to her relatives, friends and acquaintances.

Rosary making is not an easy job as it is meticulous and requires good eyesight and manual dexterity. However, age-related issues have not affected her eyesight as Ammachi does not need glasses either for threading through the beads or reading newspapers or books.

The intricate handmade rosaries lying next to her stand proof of the craft and dexterity of the nonagenarian’s work.

Her day starts early morning and she is busier than most people half her age. She would be immersed herself in rosary making till evening and would leave her room only to have lunch. If there are no visitors, Ammachi would make at least five rosaries a day.

Wife of the late Maniyambrayil Kochettan of Nellippara, near Thankamony, Ammachi lives with her youngest son Thomas Joseph. Of the couple’s eleven children, only eight are alive.

Mary Ammachi, who hates sitting idle, has pursued different hobbies to keep herself active and break the monotony. Until recently, she has been a bookworm, spending all her time reading.

She loves watching movies on TV as well, especially those featuring Mammootty. The last film she watched in theatre was Pazhassiraja.

Though she suffers from various age-related difficulties, Ammachi is healthy and active. Also, she does not like medicine and finds more natural ways to cure her ailments. Ammachi has in all forty-seven children and grandchildren.