Concern about losing the nearly three-millennium old, rich literary legacy of the Tamil language within the Tamil American community, was perhaps the primary driving force for the head honchos of the five prominent Tamil associations across the United States to contemplate forming an umbrella organization in the 80’s.
So, to promote the Tamil cultural heritage especially among the younger generation living in the vortex of a cross-cultural confluence, the Tamil Association of Delaware Valley, Tamil Sangam of Washington & Baltimore, New York, Ilankai and Harrisburg Tamil Sangams formed a non-profit organization called the Federation of the Tamil Sangams of North America (FeTNA) in 1987.
Thillai Kumarn, the ex-president of FeTNA (2006-2008) and a member of the newly elected executive board said, “At present, individuals are busy with their lives, children, education and group activities like birthday parties and stuff. They don’t have time or interest in getting involved with activities that has do with literature and culture. Hence, the desire to preserve the heritage, promote the Tamil language and transfer the knowledge to their children is decreasing. People like entertainment events…we get a full house when there is a light music concert but in case of Tamil scholarly and literary events very few people turn up. It’s a big challenge to make them aware and for that people have to show more commitment.”
Since its inception, this virtual, non-partisan organization, has focused on cultivating, promoting, fostering, and developing the advancement of knowledge in Tamil language, literature and culture; the exchange of ideas, better understanding and friendship between the Tamil people and other cultures. The FeTNA also initiates charitable events directly concerning the welfare of the Tamil community living throughout the world and encourages the formation of new Tamil Sangams in various parts of the US.
To bring the Tamil people especially the Tamil youths from all over the US under one roof, at least once a year, is the primary focus of FeTNA. To achieve this goal, a grand cultural event called the Annual Tamil Convention is held every year, each time in a different city of the US. The local Tamil Sangam takes charge of the event under the supervision of the nine-member executive committee.
At present, FeTNA has about 32 member organizations from across the US. One or more delegates (depending on the strength of the association) are sent from each member organization to represent their respective associations at various FeTNA events. But member or not, any Tamil Sangam or association can take part in the FeTNA events. “We are also encouraging individual life memberships for our organization. We have seven life members at present. But only members who have been presidents before or have made significant contributions to the FeTNA can apply to become life members, paying a one-time fee of $1000. FeTNA’s constitution (three pages of bylaws) does impose certain restrictions like that,” said Kumaran.
Within 21 years of its existence FeTNA has achieved many feats. Apart from helping local committees to form Tamil Sangams in their own cities, FeTNA also has been helping associations to run private Tamil schools in different cities of the US and also coordinate among themselves so that they can have a common syllabus and exam question papers. But undoubtedly the most credible achievement of the Tamil Americans of which FeTNA was a very important part of, was the creation of Tamil departments (called the Tamil Chair) in about three to four American Universities.
“The inclusion of the Tamil Chair in the University of California, Berkeley more than eleven years ago was a great achievement. The San Francisco Bay Area Tamil Manram, a member of FeTNA played a major role along with the Tamil Nadu Foundation and several other Tamil organizations in this enterprise. More than $400,000 was raised for this venture. FeTNA even participated and contributed at the 10th Anniversary of the Tamil Chair at UC Berkeley. There is a Tamil Chair in the University of Pennsylvania, Yale University and probably at the University of Toronto as well. We want to replicate this kind of success in future. Wherever there is any initiative to spread Tamil Language or literature, we get involved”, beamed Kumaran.
FeTNA patronizes Tamil Scholars (achievers in the various forms of art) from India especially those who cannot afford to come to the US on their own. “We not only help these scholars financially to continue their researches but also arrange for a trip around various US cities so that they can give lectures on their work and finds at the Tamil Sangams. We choose one Tamil scholar every year”, Kumaran informed.
FeTNA is also deliberating on sponsoring Indian students to come and study Tamil at the Universities of California (Berkely), Pennsylvania or Toronto but money seems to be the only constraint at the moment. “Once we gather sufficient funds we’ll go ahead with our plans,” confirmed Kumaran.
Honoring Tamil Achievers from different spheres is another of FeTNA’s endeavors. “Last year we honored two Tamil achievers from the field of Medicine and Accounting respectively. This year we have honored an engineer who has successfully started a company and sold it and a young director whose first movie will release in September”, said Kumaran.
Entrepreneurial and Matrimonial forums are the other important initiatives of the FeTNA. The purpose of Entrepreneurial forums is to encourage and educate young entrepreneurs to start businesses of their own. Successful businessmen and veterans come and give speeches at such events. On the other hand, Matrimonial Forums are organized to help parents find brides or bridegrooms for their children within the community.
But one of the biggest challenges for FeTNA today is communication and the geographical distance between the Tamil Sangams across the US seems to be a killer. Kumaran said, “All our members and offices are from different cities. We send out newsletters to our members and maintain a website, which is basically our window to the world. But this is not enough and we still have a long way to go”.
Moreover, to spread awareness amongst the American Tamilians and bring them together is a very difficult task even with the existence of an organization like FeTNA. “Not a lot of people know about FeTNA. We need to find out why FeTNA is not popular amongst many Tamil Americans. Only the Tamil activists and Tamil Sangam people know about our organization. So our primary focus is to increase membership and make every Tamil living in North America aware of FeTNA and bring thousands of attendants at the convention every year”, opined Kumaran.
Another big problem for FeTNA is monetary constringency because the annual convention is the only major event for fund-raising where they make profits. During the convention only small businesses or individual donors contribute. The rest of the money comes from the membership fees, which again is dependent on the strength of the Tamil associations. The maximum annual fee that a member family might have to pay is $300 depending on which Sangam they are members of. But in most cases it is lesser than that due to the small sizes of the Sangams.
“We actually have very few outside donors and don’t go after the big corporate houses for sponsorship. There are about 100-200 loyal FeTNA supporters who turn up at any event no matter which part of the world they are organized. They have consistently supported us in all our missions and we try to raise funds through individuals who are committed to FeTNA.”, informed Kumaran.
21st Annual Tamil Convention
The 21st Annual Tamil Convention was held at the Bob Carr Center for Performing Arts in Orlando, Florida this year amidst a lot of glitz and glamour. Members from various Tamil Sangams across the United States and National Tamil Youth Organization (NTYO) attended the convention.
The theme of the three day convention which began on July 4 was “Preserve the Tamil Race by protecting the language: Lets work together to protect the language.” Commenting on the theme of the Convention just before the commencement of the convention, ex-president Thillai Kumaran said, “In order to protect the Tamil race we need to protect the language and for that we need to come together and that is what the purpose of the annual conventions are.”
In fact the festivities had begun a day before with a reception held at the Marriot for the donors and the guests. The convention commenced on Friday, with speeches from the VIPS and guests. Prof. Su. Pa. Veerapandian, Tamil movie actor Nanda, well known Tamil film directors Thangar Bachchan and Seeman gave thought provoking and captivating speeches echoing the theme of the conference.
Scholarly discussions and debates on matters related to the preservation and the promotion of the Tamil language and the well being of the Tamils all over the world were organized during the convention. There were Poem recitals (Kaviarangam) moderated by Tamil Scholar Ko.. Velnambi from Tamil Nadu.
A Tamil Classical Music concert presented by Kalaimamani Sudha Ragunathan and troupe, Bharatha Natyam dance drama “SilambumThamizhum” performed by Kalaimamani Narthaki Nataraj, Tamil Classical Music History and Demonstration program by Naghur Moideen Mammathu, a light music concert presented by Ainkaran & Anitha Krishnan troupe were some of the highlights of the convention. The popular singers from Tamilnadu, Krish and Chimanyee and stand-up comedian Erode Mahesh also entertained the audience.
Apart from the main programs, several parallel sessions were organized at the hotel. Tamil Internet/Bloggers, Entrepreneur Forum, Tamil Matrimonial Forum (Singles and Parents meet), Tamil speech, poem recital, Yoga workshop by Azhiyar Vethathiri Center etc. were some of the prominent ones. Mr. G. Viswanathan, founder and the Vice Chancellor of Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, was honored at the convention for his contribution to education in Tamil Nadu. The convention concluded with a series of lectures on the “Renaissance of Tamil language during the 20th century”.
Dr. Muthuvel Chelliah officially took over as the President of the new elected Executive Board of FeTNA at this year’s convention.
Executive Board (Period: 2008-2010)
President - Dr. Muthuvel Chelliah Maryland
Vice President - Dr. R. Prabhakaran Maryland
Secretary - Dr. Pazhani Sundaram Connecticut
Treasurer - Dr. Selvan Patchamuthu North Carolina
Joint Secretary - Mr. Peter Yeronimuse Maryland
Board Member - Mr. Sriskand Subramaniam Florida
Board Member - Dr. Gnanamony Thabaraj Florida
Board Member - Dr. Sundaravadivel Balasubramanian South Carolina
Board Member - Mr. Thillai K. Kumaran California
Interview with the President – Dr. Muthuvel Chelliah
Q. How long had you been associated with FeTNA? How has the FeTNA evolved from the time you first became a part of it?
I have been associated with FeTNA since the beginning, in one-way or another. The participation in our annual conventions has increased from a low few hundreds to more than couple of thousands in few years. Member Tamil Sangams in FeTNA have increased, the quality of programs has improved and number of invitees has increased considerably as well.
Q. What new initiatives or plans do you want to implement after taking over as the president of the FeTNA?
Tamil families from across the US want to teach Tamil to their children for many good reasons. One of the primary goals of FeTNA, as an umbrella organization of regional Tamil Sangams, in the coming years, will be to better coordinate the various Tamil Schools run by member Sangams though a standardized Teaching curriculum and embark on a process to get accreditation for those classes (K-12) from US schools and colleges.
Bring transparency to all decisions made by FeTNA and accountability for every penny collected and spent by FeTNA. Anyone (Tamil, American, even if not a delegate) can sit in FeTNA’s delegates meetings and observe what is discussed.
Increase FeTNA membership. Visit as many Tamil Sangams as possible and explain the win-win relationship for member Sangams if they become/renew FeTNA membership.
Do proper and appropriate advance planning and make sure some annual conventions do not end up with losses.
Make FeTNA’s 2009 Atlanta convention the grandest Tamil convention ever in North America.
Q. What are the biggest challenges that FeTNA has to deal with and how do you wish to overcome them?
Deliberate mischievous distortion of FeTNA’s image and its activities by various vested groups is the biggest challenge faced by FeTNA today. Even though all of FeTNA’s activities are open to public and all of FeTNA’s invitees come to US with a proper and valid US visa…this happens. FeTNA cannot understand or change what and why others do such things as FeTNA completely operates under the US law.
FeTNA will be as transparent as possible in its decision-makings, holding open delegates meetings, open election process, filing proper federal tax returns every year as required by the US law, enhance FeTNA’s public image by reaching out more to the media and provide all and any needed clarifications.
Q. On which ground(s) do you think your predecessors (ex-presidents) have not been successful? How do you intend to change them and set the records straight?
I do not and will not criticize predecessors and ex-office bearers. FeTNA is a non-profit organization, and I believe everybody in the past worked hard and did their best. I plan to work even harder to work towards FeTNA’s objectives and my plans that I have outlined earlier.
Q. Can you mention any significant aspect about FeTNA that sets it apart from other Tamil or other Community Organizations?
FeTNA works hard to bring a higher level of intellectual awareness and interest in promoting Tamil language, Tamil culture and arts among North American Tamils. We use our freedom of speech granted by the US constitution to speak for the rights of suffering Tamils anywhere on the globe. We bring true, well respected and dedicated Tamil scholars from India who are otherwise not given due respect they truly deserve in this commercially run world. We bring talented Tamil artists whose names and arts are not well-recognized or appreciated in Tamil Nadu or elsewhere. FeTNA brings a higher level of awareness to cater to the intellectual needs of American Tamils.
Q. Does FeTNA extend any kind of support to Tamilians living in India e.g. any charitable event to raise funds for the destitute, orphans, victims of ay catastrophe like the Tsunami etc or any scholarship programs for Tamil students who want to study in the US?
While FeTNA’s objectives are very clear about catering only to the language, cultural and arts needs of American Tamils (and not any Indian/foreign Tamils), we have in the past raised money in a few exceptional natural disaster incidences such as Tsunami and the Kumbakonam school fire, where a lot of children died.
Q. What kind of support have you been getting from your community in North America?
We get a lot of support from Tamils across the US who understand and support FeTNA
and from member Tamil Sangams/associations who comply with FeTNA’s objectives. Otherwise we would not have survived all these years. We are looking forward to the 22nd annual convention of FeTNA in Atlanta during July 4th weekend in 2009.
Q. Has the FeTNA been able to make a difference to the lives of Tamilians living in North America and if so how?
There are a lot of private groups and organizations catering to the generic needs of ordinary American Tamils with entertainment centered only on movie popularities and in movie theatres. FeTNA prides itself in being a class act. FeTNA offers a higher level of quality and entertainment from true Tamil Scholars and talented artists that one can get only in FeTNA conventions. No group other than FeTNA can claim to cater to such needs of North American Tamils.
Contact Info:
Federation of the Tamil Sangams of North America (FeTNA)
208 South Lasalle Street, Suite 814
Chicago, IL 60604
No comments:
Post a Comment