Welcome to the Home Page of
Mallika Badrinath

Today, the name "Mallika Badrinath" is familiar to most housewives in South India. Till 1988, she too was the typical housewife; now, she is an internationally acknowledged culinary expert, with an eager audience latching on to every word she has to say about food and cooking. A symbol for women achievers in India, hers is a success story that has been an inspiration for all women.

Mallika Badrinath was born and brought up in Salem, Tamil Nadu, and she completed her B.Sc. in home science there. She always had a keen interest in cooking, which deepened after she got married and became part of her new family in Chennai. As she collected and modified recipes from friends, relatives, even her grandmother's notes, she realized one day that she had a hundred recipes of gravies alone. At her husband's suggestion they compiled the recipes and published a book, "100 Vegetarian Gravies". The emphasis on simplicity that they laid at this stage - easily available ingredients, step by step procedures in simple language - formed the foundation for the success of her books. Cheered by the warm reception to her book, they published another one the following year. Gradually, two became three and three became four, and the rest as they say is history. As of 2008, she has written 22 books in English, most of which have been translated into Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi.

 

Television Shows

Mallika's entrance into television was a chance occurrence, when Doordarshan needed a person at short notice to perform a couple of cookery shows, and her name was recommended to them. Mallika never wastes an opportunity, and it turned out that she was a natural in front of the camera. Within a few years, she shot to fame with the show "Ungal Manasukku Pidichadhu Mattum" on Sun TV, and later moved on to Jaya TV with the show "Arusuvai Neram" which she hosts even today.

 

Mallika Home Products

In 1999, Mallika and her husband decided to make a foray into the Masala Powder and Ready Mix product business and launched the brand "Mallika Home Products", better known today as MHP Masala. Thanks to her expert knowledge and perfectionist nature, the brand received a good response in a highly competitive market and is now well established in Chennai.

 

Activities

Apart from writing books and hosting her television show, Mallika involves herself in several activities. She regularly writes articles for Tamil magazines on cooking, health and nutrition. Some of these magazines are: Kumudam, Mangaiyar Malar, Snegithi, Porpadham.

She often conducts cookery demonstrations and judges cookery competitions. She is a freelance consultant and many companies have made use of her expert advice. She is a passionate philanthropist and has done a lot of work for charitable causes. In spite of all these demands on her time, she is at heart a family woman and always puts her family first.

 

Awards

Mallika Badrinath has won several awards over the years in recognition of her achievements. Her first major award was the "Priyadarshini Award" in 1998, which is given to prominent women entrepreneurs in India. Some of her other awards include:

• "Mahila Ratna" Award presented by the Tamil Nadu Arya Vysya Mahila Sabha in 1998.

• "Arusuvai Gnaana Kalamani" Award presented by the Thenn Indhiya Samayal Kalaignargal Sangam.

• "Acharya Award" in the field of cooking presented by Call Chennai in 2006.

• "Best Cookery Show Host" Award presented by the Mylapore Academy in 2006.

• "Arusuvai Arasi" Award presented by International Lions Clubs in 2008.