Indira, a hapless mother living under a crumbling  roof  in a coastal shanty town on the suburbs of Thiruvanathapuram receives a

call on her sister’s mobile . The caller identifies himself as a volunteer from Malayali Friends Group (MFG). He  has been assigned to personally visit the aged mother and her perpetually bedridden son   suffering from brain tumor for about a decade.

A member of the MFG from a far off destination, reading a news story on the pathetic plight of the exhausted mother and her ailing son Radhakrishnan, offered his help. Gopal Nair, the founder of the MGF, through his local volunteers, collected the needed details of the family and promptly updated the benefactor. The entire exercise took less than a day and the endowment is through.

MFG, one of the largest internet fraternity dedicated to the cause of compassion is the culmination of the persistent endeavor of a group of likeminded non-resident Keralites.  Gopal Nair, a resident of Ahemdabad took the lead and organized a selected few from the People of Kerala Origin living at different locations into an effective group. Spending his leisure hours Nair could effectively connect people from different countries for the noble mission- Help the Hapless. As of now the Group has over 1.5 lac registered members from 82 nations across the globe and many more waiting to get accommodated.

Explaining the activities of MFG, functioning under Millennium Charitable Trust, Mr. Nair said, “the group was started only in 2009 with just 10 people and today the number of members is over 1.51 lac. Another 3.5  lac people are waiting to join us. Once our software applications are through we will enroll them.  We have only one objective, help the needy. In the process we never consider cast, creed, religion or politics. We are here to the underprivileged as we can.”

The mode of operation of the Group is simple and cost free. Once Mr. Nair receive a request for aid , he deputes  an associates to prepare  evaluation report  to ascertain  genuineness of the case.  Based on the report he organizes  help from a  list of sponsors.

In the recent past MFG has launched a precise programme, “Gift of Vision”, to help restore eyesight of blind children. Under the mission 25 blind children from each district will be selected for vision restoration surgery.

The group has already been supporting 31 kids under the scheme “save the girl child. The group has facilitated free heart surgery for two poor children in Delhi. The group really deserve real applaud for giving financial support to the tune of over Rs10,000 to 100 or more blind individuals for self-employment initiatives. Another most altruistic mission they have undertaken is protecting the unattended elders.  MFG has already sponsored about 70 such deserted senior souls.

Elaborating on the future plans Mr. Nair says, “We find solace in helping the needy. Our group is swelling beyond imaginations and we hope to take up more humanitarian activities. Serving the miserable mothers is of prime importance for me. We all take special concern for such mothers and the mothers are our top priority.”

MFG has recently donated a laptop and Rs.10000 per month for six months to a polio affected boy who cleared his CA Final in January 2012. The group has been providing Rs.5000 per month to a cancer patient who had one of his legs amputated. Another handicapped is being given Rs.2000 per month. The expense for eye-replenishment of a 3 month old poor girl child was born by the Group and it has of late supported a blind boy having multiple disabilities with a wheel chair, an audio system and Rs.2000 per month.

The members of MFG seem to be a rare breed, for they shy away from any media hype or accolades. It’s surprising; many of the members have not even met Mr. Nair, who is the funder and Administrator of the group, in person.  They interact through internet, send donations through electronic mode, and are contended remaining anonymous to others.

They practice selfless service in its true sense.