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By Uditha Jayasinghe
Mallika Joseph is a name that is synonymous with the image of home. With her wide range of
talents in everything from social graces to cookery to bridals she has fostered over three decades
of growth in a burgeoning industry. Armed with formidable experience on how to transform a house
into a home she sat down with W@W to discuss the intricacies of being a complete woman.
With unhesitating accuracy Mallika recalled the exact date 36 years ago when she first embarked
on her career by establishing the Mallika School of Home Science, of which she still remains
Directress. It was 15th July 1969. My mother was my first teacher and even though I went for
several classes locally after I finished school I was never satisfied with the standards. I felt that I
could teach better but before that I had to learn properly. So I went abroad to study and then
started the school, began Mallika expounding the age old adage that the teacher is always a
student too.
After having completed a Diploma in Cake Decorations and Sugar Craft from The House of Sugar
Craft International School, West Midlands, England, she gathered another Diploma in Artistry
Coiffures from The School of Beautification in Thailand and fabric painting in India. Mallika then
returned and began teaching the different techniques to an industry that was still in its infancy.
Keen to keep upgrading her store of knowledge Mallika still insists on traveling abroad once every
couple of years and urges other teachers to do the same. It was hard at the beginning even though
I conducted classes and held my first painting exhibition in 1970 as recognition was difficult to gain.
I was still an obscure figure but in the following year after I got married things moved into a more
positive light. I started holding annual exhibitions and my students have carried that tradition on
even in their own courses.
Taking over as the official cookery demonstrator for leading organizations, promoter of various food
products, Housewives Association and Lions Club aided her to gain a maximum share of publicity.
Designing bridal outfits was another weapon in her armory, which she began in her teens by
designing outfits for her cousins and expanded that knack for matching patterns and fabrics into a
career.
Mallika's range of classes offers a daunting variety including cake making, international cookery,
hair dressing, beauty culture and bridal dressing, flower making and arrangements, painting (glass,
pen, pottery), Batik, social graces, mirror carving, paper tole, metal embossing, cold porcelain
molding, carvings (fruit and vegetable) and crystal ornaments. With every year adding something
new to her exhibitions it is hardly to be wondered at that more than 10 000 of her students have
become self sufficient home makers. Many have found employment in well recognized hotels and
confectionary stores both locally and abroad. Some have even taken a leaf from Mallika's book and
launched home science schools of their own.
"I love to teach" Mallika affirms a lifelong passion that has culminated in her receiving the
Presidential Award for Women of Excellence 1998 in the field of cookery and being appointed as a
member of the Projects Committee representing Business and Professional Women for the United
Nations. Since her three children are not going to continue in this field I have decided to publish my
knowledge in a series of books. The first one was published recently titled "Cooking like Mum" and
has been met with a very positive response. Within the next five years I hope to come out with two
more books on hair dressing and cake making. But that is still very much in the pipeline.
Focusing on the mushrooming classes and salons in the island, Mallika admitted that there has
been a serious deterioration in standards and maintained that the "teachers" should first gain the
necessary experience before branching out on their own. My advice to anyone who wants to learn
is to pick a good, reliable, reputed teacher and to stick to her. Because then whenever you are in
doubt you can always trust her. Plus gaining a good foundation is essential that is why parents try
so hard to get their children into good schools. The same philosophy applies here. Once the basics
are down then you can develop them on your own.
Finally in a fast track world where family is being placed on the back burner by many career
oriented women Mallika pointed out, no matter what you do there will come a time in your life when
your focus will be home and family and then having learned to manage a home becomes more
important than anything else.