When Beena Kattakath, a native of Kodungallur in Thrissur, gave ₹500 to a family to return home after visiting her father, late K S Mohammed Kattakath, a former Congress worker, she hardly realised she was embarking on a long journey that would become her calling in life. Inadvertently, she was etching a novel path of philanthropy.

Hailing from Sreenarayanapuram, Beena eventually turned her simple efforts of helping others into a much bigger project, reaching out to multitudes. Beena now runs an all-women group named 'Caring Hands'.

The group is an informal collective, which Beena terms as a ladies' club and she credits her father as her inspiration and her guiding force. However, her actual charity work began by donating a wedding gown to a poor woman, who struggled to get a wedding attire for her daughter. "A couple of months after the wedding of my daughter, Isabella Salih, she called me up from Bengaluru and asked me to donate the wedding dress for the needy. I did so, and it became a regular affair since then. There were many who were not able to afford wedding dresses or the ceremonies. So, we started helping them realise the dream of their lives," she said.

During the floods in 2018, Beena enrolled as a volunteer at J T Boys' High School in Kodungallur and handed out food and clothes to the stranded survivors. "There were marriages fixed in some of the flood-affected poor families. It was heart-wrenching to see a mother worrying about meeting her daughter's wedding expenses. I couldn't hold back my tears when we gave her my daughter's wedding gown which was kept away after using it once. We also provided financial aid to the poor within our capacity on such occasions," she said.

Witnessing Beena help the needy, two of her friends joined hands with her in the aid work. Together, they collected from households dresses, which were literally shelved after wearing only for hours during the day of the wedding, mehendi, engagement or reception. There were saris, lachas and gowns among them, priced between ₹20,000 and ₹1,00,00, which were handed over to the needy. Beena and team have offered more than a hundred such wedding dresses so far.

Eventually, many others joined the ladies' club, including her close friends Subeda Ismail from Malappuram, Jamila Babu and Sini Mathilakam from Thrissur. "They were with me in my endeavours from the very beginning. They have even provided gold to marry off orphaned youths," she said.

Sponsors too came forward offering financial, material and moral support. "As sponsors and well-wishers extended support we were able to widen our charity network, and now, these works spread from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod," she said.

Apart from providing clothes, the group distributes dialysis kits, financial aid of up to ₹1000 for medicines, kits of household items and so on. Beena visits the old age homes in her region once every week. She is also a volunteer with palliative care centres and earned the Best Volunteer Award from IMB Palliative Care Centre, the health wing of the KNM.

Earlier, Beena's father used to fund her charity work. Now it's her daughter who regularly sends the money for such activities. Beena says that from the time she began her aid works, never in her life has she faced a hurdle.

Future plans
The group hasn't been registered yet as an official organisation. "The work towards registering 'Caring Hands' as a charity organisation is underway. We are now planning to build houses for the poor. Some sponsors have already come forward," Beena said and added that her aim is to help as many people as possible across the state. A Gulf returnee, Beena, is elated that her husband, Mohammed Ibrahim and daughter, Isabella, fully support all her activities.

Not just her family, friends and neighbours, but a large number of people are directly or indirectly involved in Beena's work. For instance, as she lives in a remote area, most of the parcels addressed to her are received by one Zulphy and are stocked at his bakery in the town.

There is an earthy innocence in her voice and warmth in her words. She plans each day with an unbridled urgency for the cause of the destitute, the poor and the aged ones. As to what drives her forward in her mission, she says, "It is the tears of joy in the eyes of people when their dreams materialise."