Three Kerala nuns stitch a livelihood after standing by a survivor
Three nuns in Kottayam, cut off from congregational support after backing a rape complainant, sustain themselves through a clothing brand called Stand By Me.
On the grounds of the St Francis Mission Home at Kuravilangad village in Kerala's Kottayam district, a blue signboard marks the turn-off from the Pala-Vaikkom state highway. A steep, narrow lane leads up to a cluster of buildings, among them a chapel. Beside it, in a corridor, three women work at sewing machines, turning out dresses, sling bags and tote bags made to order, with embroidery as their speciality.
The women are Sister Ranit MJ, Sister Alphy and Sister Ancitta, and the premises have been their home for decades. For the past eight years, it has also been the limit of their world.
The rupture dates to 2018, when Sr Ranit filed a police complaint alleging rape against Franco Mulakkal, then Bishop of Jalandhar. The Home is affiliated to that congregation. In 2022, a trial court acquitted Mulakkal, citing a lack of proof and inconsistencies in the survivor's statements. Sr Ranit has challenged the acquittal in the High Court and is awaiting a hearing.
Sr Alphy and Sr Ancitta paid a price for standing by her. Ostracised by their congregation and left without sustenance, the three turned to stitching. Their clothing brand, Stand By Me, was launched in 2023.
From pastime to livelihood
Sr Ranit recalls that the idea first came from Sisters in Solidarity, a loose collective of nuns, former nuns, ally priests and survivors of sexual violence that took shape in 2018, the year her case began. Members would call to ask whether the sisters were still weeping, and suggested stitching as a way to stay occupied. What began as a distraction became a necessity once congregational support funds stopped.
The operation has grown from a single sewing machine to five regular machines, one for embroidery and one dedicated to lock-stitching. Well-wishers contributed equipment and raw material, and the sisters also sourced material themselves. Customer suggestions shaped the range, which now includes nightgowns, salwar kameez and customised bags, among them a design with a laptop sleeve.
The name was suggested by Sisters in Solidarity, Sr Ranit says, as a statement of support for anyone who has faced gender-based violence. It also echoes a well-known 1962 song by the American singer Ben E King.
Beyond the brand
The venture has drawn support beyond Kottayam. Sr Ranit says that when the brand was first announced in Kozhikode as the work of the Kuravilangad sisters, many people came forward. In a recent month, the group sold 60 bags of three varieties along with an equal number of nightgown sets. Sr Ranit credits teamwork, noting that working alone the sisters could finish only seven or eight pieces in a sitting.
Their next outing will be at Nirangal, an annual event organised by the Kasturba Social Welfare Centre in Kottayam, on October 9 and 10.
The sisters have also turned to farming and poultry to keep the Home running. Rows of tapioca, cabbage, cauliflower, ginger and turmeric grow on the surrounding land, and hens and ducks are kept in a pen on the campus. A cow is milked and the milk sold. Sr Ranit says the Rs 5,000 a month they are meant to receive from the congregation as support has not been coming.
Earnings, the sisters say, are enough to get by. What strains them are sudden expenses. A water pumping motor failing, for instance, costs about Rs 2,000 to replace. They are clear that they are not seeking charity. "We just want to live, our heads held high," Sr Ranit says.