Her second home that makes her feel young again!
As the Mallika Nivasa Samithiya (Mallika Housing Society) turns 93 this year, a long-standing stalwart of the committee celebrates 50 years of service in her beloved second home. Indrani Munasinghe joined the executive committee of the society in 1963 during a dark period in her life. Fifty years on she looks back with a smile and has no regrets as she unassumingly laughs away her invaluable contribution to one of Sri Lanka’s leading charitable foundations.
Happy and contented: The elders at the Mallika Home. Pix by Indika Handuwala
Mrs. Munasinghe joined the committee in 1963 and was given the position of General Secretary in 1965. She held this post together with that of President on three occasions. During her tenure as President in the 90’s Mrs. Munasinghe was largely responsible for the construction of a massive building in the society’s Visakha Road premises for a newly planned paying home for women.
A tour of the building reveals the homely and comfortable interior. “Putting up this building was a challenge,” she remembers. “We had quite a lot of trouble fundraising for it to be built.” Today, the Mallika Society premises on Visakha Road is home to several such buildings, occupied by stately pensioners who check themselves in to the home.
In addition to this paying home, the organisation is responsible for a number of other establishments that provide accommodation and care for helpless elders completely free of charge. Established in 1920 by Mallika Hewavitarne (the mother of the illustrious Anagarika Dharmapala), the society has founded and continues to run several welfare projects around the country, including the home for elderly women along with the Parakrama Child Development Centre in Ragama and the Sneha Child Development Centre in Visakha Road.
The current President of the society Hemantha Nanayakkara and Rohini Abeysekara are the masterminds behind this interview. The three ladies form a tight knit groupwho have sacrificed their leisure for the betterment of their community. For Mrs. Munasinghe these frequent visits to the home are almost a necessity. “My work keeps me going,” she says as she leads us around the many buildings
Indrani Munasinghe
within the compound. The elderly occupants greet her with much warmth, and many gather around for a chat, telling us that Mrs. Munasinghe’s frequent rounds are part and parcel of their lives. It’s no duty call, says Mrs. Munasinghe, maintaining that these visits are among the highlights of the day.
She religiously maintains and updates a scrapbook of information about the society-this is full of photos, newspaper cuttings and letters and that’s why the other ladies of the committee have dubbed her a ‘reservoir of information’ when it comes to the society. Her daughter Ayoma Palihakkara has also joined her in her crusade. She now holds the position of the General Secretary in the society.
As for Mrs. Munasinghe, she will continue her journey with the society for as long as she can, because this is what she laughingly calls her youth drug. “I joined the society at a time when I was very unhappy and my work was my salvation. It makes me feel young again!” She urges other young women to join and take an active role in the committee- “you won’t regret it”, she smiles.
The society can be contacted on email: mallikahome5@sltnet.lk or write to them at Mallika Nivasa Samithiya (Society) Limited, 45, Visakha Road, Colombo 4.
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