It is rightly said that the only thing worse than being blind is not having a purpose in life or a vision. Also, being blind doesn’t mean that you lose your ability to think or be creative.
Such is the story of these two Kashmiri brothers whose extraordinary talent to sew embroidered quilts has made them the source of inspiration in Srinagar.
In their tiny shop, closer to home, the brothers sew mattress covers and fill cushion covers with cotton.
45-year-old Ghulam Nabi Teli and 40-year-old Mohamad Hussain were visually impaired since birth but they didn’t accept their fate, instead, they got themselves trained at the National Institute for the Visually Handicapped in Dehradun. It was here that the duo learned Braille language and home sciences.
In an interview with ANI, Mohamad Hussain says, “We both work with our father. We went to Dehradun for training. We are happy that we earn with our hard work. Our parents were against begging. They taught us not to beg, but instead, earn a livelihood by doing some hard work.”
Their tiny shop is not very far from their home and one can get hold of these beautiful items sewed by the brothers there.
Their father was against begging and therefore the brothers learned to make quirky quilts with the help of their parent, which now they excel at. Now they also make fashionable mattresses, cushion covers for their customers, and receive sizeable orders from a local quilt-dealer.
Is there anything we can not achieve if we have the will to go after it?