At 56, polio-survivor Thrissur woman tailor returns to classroom to learn fashion-designing, contests in college polls

For years, Jancy Varghese’s mornings followed a fixed rhythm as she rode her scooter to her textile and stitching shop in Peechi, Thrissur, and spent the day running the business she had built. Since last September, however, that routine has changed quietly but decisively. Her scooter now takes the opposite direction — to a nearby Government Industrial Training Institute (ITI). At 56, Jancy has returned to the classroom as a student of the one-year Fashion Design and Technology (FDT) course, finally pursuing a dream she had carried for decades.

Studying fashion design, she says, has brought her happiness that outweighs everything else. Despite physical discomfort caused by polio-affected legs, she has embraced campus life with enthusiasm, finding warmth and acceptance among classmates more than three decades younger than her. This week, she is taking another unexpected step — contesting the student union election for the post of magazine editor, scheduled on Friday.
“At this age, I have come this far. I am just another student now. Why not an election too?” Jancy says.

A tailor and entrepreneur who runs New Jesus Fabrics and Tailors at Peechi, Jancy, sought admission to the ITI last year when the fashion designing course was introduced. She is part of the institute’s first batch of 34 students and is contesting the union election under the Kerala Students’ Union (KSU) banner.

Polio affected her at a very young age, leaving her left leg impaired. Over time, she learned to walk and manage her life independently. Though she had wanted to study fashion designing from an early age, dropping out of her pre-degree course and her family’s financial situation meant higher studies were not an option. She instead trained in typewriting and stitching, taking up tailoring at the age of 19. Around this time, her father, Varghese C I — a headload worker and an active INTUC member — passed away. With her sisters married, Jancy stayed back with her mother and continued working. In 1999, she started her own textile shop, steadily building it despite her physical challenges.

About 14 years ago, a major spinal disc issue left her bedridden for nearly a year. Though she eventually regained mobility, prolonged standing, walking and climbing stairs remained difficult. She bought a three-wheeler scooter, which has since become essential to her daily life. When the ITI opened near her home and introduced the fashion designing course last year, she decided to give it a try. “That’s when I learned there was no age limit,” she says. She applied and secured admission. After learning about her difficulty with stairs, the institute shifted the batches to the ground floor.

The initial days were far from easy. A diabetic, she struggled to keep pace with writing and drawing. “I couldn’t follow the classes like the others. I was slow,” she recalls. What helped her persist was the support she received from both teachers and fellow students. Once, when she wanted to participate in a reading programme scheduled upstairs, students shifted the event to a ground-floor classroom solely for her. “How can I say no to them?” she asks. “They are my friends. This election feels like a way to give something back.” Her decision to contest under the Congress-backed KSU came naturally, shaped by her family’s political background. “My father was a Congress activist. I never had any doubt,” she says.

Some classmates were already familiar with her. “I have even stitched uniforms for a few of them,” she says. Though unsure of what she can achieve as a union representative, Jancy is determined to try. “Everything is new to me — even this election. But I can offer the same care and support my friends gave me,” she says.

Meanwhile, balancing student life and entrepreneurship, she says, has not been difficult. Classes run from 7.50 am to 3 pm, after which she heads straight to the shop. A staff member and her sister’s son, Jibin, help manage operations. She studies at night and continues to handle stock-taking and key decisions herself, travelling everywhere on her scooter.