CHENNAI :Since the age of 16, Chennai-based entrepreneur Subashri Natarajan harboured a dream to see her name on the Guinness Book of World Records. Crocheting has been an integral part of her life since her childhood. The founder of Mother India Crochet Queen (MICQ) recalls the memory of her grandmother crocheting continuously for hours, and her picking up the craft of crocheting, weaving, embroidery, and designing clothes from her. With her early-learned craft, Subashri set her sights on making the best use of it for doing a world of good.
After bagging four Guinness World Records, MICQ broke another record recently by making 4,517 scarves. This year’s record was solely aimed at spreading breast cancer awareness. This decision to devote their time to the breast cancer victims stemmed from her personal loss. Subashri says, “Their lives cannot be extended, at least we can bring a smile on their faces by giving our token of love.”
Crochet for a cause
In 2015, she decided to make this dream a reality with tangible outcomes. With flyers and Facebook posts, she spread the word to create the world’s largest blanket. With soaring responses, the participation snowballed, and each one had different reasons to join the group, but the underlying purpose was self-recognition. Each woman crocheted a strip of blanket, made bundles, and sent it to Chennai, where all were collected. Two days before The Guinness World Record event, all the MICQ members assembled and stitched all the pieces together to form an 11,148 sq m blanket, setting the world record for largest blanket on January 31, 2016.
The story isn’t just about personal accomplishments and success, it goes beyond them. They dismantled the blankets and gave them to the needy. The products were also donated through Rotary clubs, NGOs, and social workers.
As she decided to put a halt to the volunteering programme after her first successful project, she realised that for many women, crocheting was an escapade from the monotonous life, for some it helped them come out of depression, and for some, it was to break away the shackles of patriarchy and the daily chores confined to just women.
Thus, crocheting continued and these women continued to create many milestones. In 2017, they crocheted a scarf of 14.089 km; in 2018, they presented the world’s largest display of crochet sculptures; and in 2019, they displayed 66,158 Christmas decorative items.
Subashri says, “It was during the dire time of floods in Chennai in 2016 that they faced challenges to store and distribute bundles of blankets. However, with the help of Chennai police, they were able to identify and donate the collected blankets to the orphanages and old age homes.”
With each year of success, the cause towards society also kept changing. Subashri says that they have woven many scarves for tribal people living in the hills, they have crocheted for Army men in the borders.
Beyond age barrier
Soumiya, a member of MICQ, says that yarn and needles are a way to get away from her miseries. She learned crocheting at the age of 45 and says that there is no age to learn. The craft grew on her, and she could not put the yarn down even when she was doing something. Her fingers kept moving during her commute to work. What makes her love the craft is also hinged on the noble cause.
MICQ has members of different age groups. Eighty-three-year-old Padma Srinivasan, became a part of the organisation at the age of 75, without any idea about the Guinness World Records. Earlier, the articles she knitted or crocheted were gifted to her friends and family members. But it gives her a sense of contentment and joy to give hand-woven articles to the needy. “I have had personal losses, and when I was grappling with loneliness, this project of crocheting came as a boon,” she says.
Sharada, a MICQ leader from Mysuru narrates an instance of a woman who in the throes of depression sought a resort in crocheting. Teaching the craft to people in old age homes, and people with disabilities, marketing their articles, and fetching them money, is a way of promoting vocational training among the underprivileged.
The founder asserts that MICQ, which has gained worldwide recognition, would continue to work towards social causes. When MICQ was born, the women did not know they would be the symbol of relentless help they are today.