Vanakkam!
“To us all towns are one, all people our kin” Yaadhum Oore Yaavarum Kelir
For me the quote above captures the Tamil communities’ spirit and outlook towards culture, heritage, and identity. We all belong to and are informed by each other's culture and are thus stronger for it.
I am really pleased by the historic announcement this month of the Tamil Heritage Month at London Assembly. This recognition will not only acknowledge the occasion but will also provide future generations an opportunity to engage with and understand Tamil traditions, history, and culture.
Tamil is one of the longest surviving classical languages in the world with a rich literature, history and identity going back over 2000 years. With significant presence in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, and South Africa. Notable people of Tamil heritage include scientists Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, awarded a Nobel prize in Physics for his work on ‘the scattering of light’- the first ‘Asian and non-white to receive any Nobel prize in the sciences’, Srinivas Ramanujan heralded by mathematicians as a phenomenal genius without peer and recently Kamala Harris, the current Vice President of the USA.
January is an important month for Tamilians across the globe as Thai Pongal, the Tamil Harvest Festival is celebrated. It marks the end of winter, beginning of the harvest season and is an opportunity to remember, celebrate and educate.
In the UK, the World Tamil Organisation (WTO-UK), a registered charity established in 2005 promotes the welfare of the community. It was set up to provide Tsunami relief and extended support to the affected Tamil community in India. Over the years, it has continued to grow as an organisation and now has 100+ Tamil group members representing 25,000 Indian Tamil families across England and Wales. Its purpose is to unite smaller groups and associations to work under a single umbrella and propagate our ancient Tamil language and rich cultural heritage. Members are spread across the UK as stakeholders in various sectors, including Health, Economy, Information Technology and Education.
We hold quarterly events to commemorate success of our members in their own fields, join hands together to promote and strengthen this very special India-UK relationship. We have also conducted summits in the UK and EU Parliaments and other activities to generate greater visibility for our state of Tamilnadu.
Please join me in wishing the entire Tamil community and our friends a happy Thai Pongal.
This blog was written by Dr Prabu Rajendran who is the Honorary Vice Chairman of the World Tamil Organisation