Life has never been easy for 68-year-old Ratnam P G, who has been confined to a wheelchair since childhood after her left leg got paralysed due to polio at the age of two. But the indomitable spirit of this former teacher from Thrissur in Kerala continues to inspire everyone around her, as she now dedicates her life to supporting breast cancer survivors by making affordable, hand-knitted breast prostheses known as “knitted knockers.”
It was the unrelenting fighter spirit in Ratnam that gave her the confidence to stay strong despite several odds right from her young days. When her dream to become a school teacher got shattered after her applications were rejected by several schools citing her physical disability despite being rightfully qualified, she led a strike in front of the Secretariat demanding equal opportunities for the disabled.
Finally, the government appointed her as a school teacher when she had only eleven years of service remaining. Ratnam, who served as a teacher for nearly 11 years, soon found herself in financial difficulty after retirement. Things got worse for her when her husband died.
She soon realised that her modest pension was barely enough to meet daily expenses. But instead of resigning herself to her circumstances, she chose to fight back with creativity and purpose.
“I realised that depending only on my pension would not help me live with dignity. I had to find a way to sustain myself,” said Ratnam, who turned to handicrafts to supplement her income.
It was during this phase that she came across the concept of knitted knockers—soft, comfortable, and handmade breast prostheses for women who have undergone mastectomy.
Moved by the plight of breast cancer survivors and the high cost of conventional prostheses, Ratnam began knitting knockers from home. She uses soft cotton yarns and ensures that each pair is made with love, comfort, and affordability in mind. “These are not just pieces of cotton and yarn. They restore confidence and comfort to women who’ve been through a lot,” she adds.
Word about Ratnam’s initiative has slowly spread, and she now receives requests from across Kerala and beyond. Many women have reached out with gratitude, praising her for making something so essential accessible to those who cannot afford expensive medical-grade prostheses.
Apart from knockers, Ratnam also creates a range of handcrafted items, which she sells at local exhibitions and through word-of-mouth. Each item is a symbol of her determination to live independently and continue making a difference, no matter the physical challenges she faces. “I may be in a wheelchair, but that has never stopped me from standing tall,” Ratnam says with confidence.
