How It All Began
It was on the 1st of March 2000 that a group of women joined together and started functioning by registering a society under the name "Matha Vanitha Charitable Society" near Melamkottu Amman Kovil, Pettah, Thiruvananthapuram — with Sri M. Radhakrishna Pillai, retired Superintendent of the Kerala State Technical Education Department, as patron and advisor.
Even before the media raised a hue and cry about the pathetic situation of inmates of Ward 9, Sri Radhakrishna Pillai had already started his silent services there. Realising that quenching hunger was the basic necessity of the inmates, he — with his meagre pension — started feeding them. Gradually, relatives and friends joined hands. Not only food, but also clothes and medicines were provided on occasions.
The Ward That Was Called "Hell on Earth"
The 9th Ward of that time was a synonym of distress. Destitute elderly patients with no one to care for them, abandoned and forgotten. A few months after the society started providing food, reports about the pathetic situation of Ward 9 appeared in the press. Thereafter, the ward was improved by the hospital authorities and government.
Today, that same ward which was once called "bhoomileyile naragam" (hell on earth) has been transformed. The society's unbroken presence there is a major reason for that change.
A Milestone Timeline
The People Behind It
Sri M. Radhakrishna Pillai is the patron and founder. At 94, he still oversees cooking and delivery of meals personally from Lekshmi Mandiram, Kabarady Road. His wife, the late Smt. N.T. Indiramma (d. 26 June 2005), was joint secretary and co-founder.
Smt. R. Jayalakshmi serves as Secretary and Sri George Joseph as Treasurer. The society accepts no donations from foreign citizens or organisations. All expenses are met from voluntary contributions — you will never see society members going around with receipt books seeking donations.