Abhijith N Kolpe
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Feb 5: The Covid lockdown has affected several individuals which turned out to be a boon and bane for some. The lockdown period made way for some to start their own business and grow in the last one year.
Lydia Gonsalves hailing from Kodikal was expected to travel to New Zealand to continue her studies and work, but the lockdown shattered her dreams of going abroad. Lydia, who learnt the art of crocheting in school, thought of making use of the skill during the lockdown period.
Lydia, along with support of her sister Lenet, has made their craft reach globally this day. Lydia and Lenet made the best use of crocheting and taking advantage of the lockdown. In the last one-and-half years, the demand of crochet has skyrocketed.
Lydia and Lenet prepare crochet products such as baby frock, baby set, shoe, handbags, sling bags, mufflers, tops, caps, flowers, earing, laptop bag, water bottle bag, mats and customized baby set for photoshoots.
The materials required for crocheting are brought from North India, Australia, UAE, Turkey and USA.
Speaking to daijiworld.com, Lydia said, “I completed my graduation at St Agnes College and masters at MV Shetty College. I was preparing for exams in order to travel to New Zealand. But due to lockdown, I could not go abroad, I was very disappointed. I had learnt crocheting in school. In my free time, I used to indulge myself in this craft and post my work on social media. As soon as I posted the pictures, the demand for my products increased. I decided to make it a business to self-sustain.
“The demand for crochet products increased with more demand from abroad. Orders started coming from Ireland, USA, New Zealand, Germany, France, UAE and Australia where we send order via post or with someone visiting those countries,” she said.
Lenet said, “I started supporting my sister Lydia in the crochet art which I learnt in school. We started with charity to donate caps for cancer patients with the help of Kasturba Hospital. In the first phase, we donated special handmade caps for children and in the second phase we will give the same to the adults.”