Musunuri Kalyani did not realise at the age of 12, when she first picked up a tatting shuttle, that one day she would rely on this tiny tool for livelihood.

Now 54, she not only tats for relaxation, but also for making a living of it.

Watch her handcrafting a delicate, but sturdy lace using tiny knots and loops on the shuttle and you realise that the women is talented. Take a closer look and it dawns upon you that the lady is doing something incredible. Ms. Kalyani is visually impaired, but relies completely on the power of focus.

She can outperform even the sighted, thanks to her extraordinary tactile sensitivity. Beautiful designs of laces that can add oodles of grace to saris, Punjabi suits or any other outfit are among her prized tatted treasures. “She can make just about anything. Give her a sample and she will produce the same design in the desired shape and size,” says her 75-year-old mother Seetha Mahalakshmi.

Kalyani displays and sells her tatted treasures in craft shows.

“The annual Mahila Utsav gets me lots of work. People place good number of orders which fetches enough money. But this year, I could not earn anything since the event did not take place,” she says sadly. Though born as a normal child, she suffered from myopia (short-sightedness) which surfaced during her visit to a doctor following a bad fall from a swing. The subsequent visits revealed that the fall had resulted in retina detachment necessitating a surgery. She underwent eye surgery twice, but to no avail.

Musunuri Kalyani, despite being visually impaired, can weave magic with tatting shuttle

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/tagged...