At our second annual Tamil Heritage Month mixer, there were plenty of structured networking opportunities to form new connections and a few speakers to share some Tamil insights on work and projects that they are doing.
To kick the night off, the first activity was the Tamil Speaking Challenge, where everyone’s Tamil speaking skills were put to the test! Attendees were split into groups and given a number of questions to answer in English, and then challenged to respond in Tamil! Next, participants had the opportunity to engage in a networking game to mingle in groups. Questions asked were two things they liked about being Tamil and what their favourite Tamil song was. A Tamil Trivia game was played where knowledge on everything related to Tamil literature, language, heritage, history and music was tested.
Our first guest speaker was Babitha Shanmuganandapala, RN, BScN (Hons), MScN (c) who spoke about her own research on emerging Tamil adults of Sri Lankan origin. She also discussed mental health and awareness within the community. Next, we had Vasuki Shanmuganathan and Mathura Noeline Karunanithy who spoke about the Tamil Archive Project (TAP). The project focus is on bringing the Tamil community together through accessible knowledge, art, and archives.
We also had a table set up for attendees to check out and purchase Palmera’s HANDMADE cookbook, distributed by Comdu.it. The book shares the stories of 34 Sri Lankan Tamil women and is beautifully illustrated with their struggle, hope and strength as they rebuild their lives after 30 years of conflict.
We hope this event gave attendees an opportunity to honour our roots while having fun, in celebration of Tamil Heritage Month. Be sure not to miss it next time!
Check out more photographs from the event here.