Malini Yugendran
Auckland, October 24, 2022
The first-ever international Conference on Tamil will be held in Wellington, on November 12, 2022, and attended by academics, motivational speakers, change-makers and community representatives from Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka. India, Australia and New Zealand.
The one-day event, organised by Aotearoa New Zealand Federation of Tamil Sangams (ANTS) Inc., will take place from 9 am to 4 pm at the Lower Hutt Event Centre.
Entry to the day programme is free but requires pre-registration at www.tamilConference.co.nz
Following that, a gala dinner and entertainment programme, attended by political dignitaries, ambassadors, and other luminaries will be held from 7 pm at the same venue. This is a ticketed event and is limited to 200 guests. Tickets can be bought online from the Conference website at www.tamilConference.co.nz
ANTS President Raveen Annamalai said that the idea of a Tamil Conference has been on the anvil since the Federation’s inception last year, but the pandemic and the resultant border closures had delayed the execution of the idea.
The event will feature discourses on the evolving identity of the Tamil youth, provide unity among the members and be a conduit for the transmission of the language, culture, heritage and identity to the younger generation.
Among the highlights of the Conference will be the launch of a Māori Tamil Souvenir Coin, Te Tiriti o Waitangi in Tamil and 101 Māori Quotes in Tamil.
Empowerment of Women
There will be five segments to the Conference, with themes of relevance and importance to the Tamil-speaking people.
The first of these will be under the theme, ‘Empowerment.’
This segment with feature education consultant, arts teacher and community leader Prabha Ravi, who will speak on Women and the Economy, shedding light on financial literacy and financial independence.
Kokila Annamalai of Singapore will speak on Gender Equality. Topics on gender have been viewed with a binary lens: Male/Female. However, Ms Annamalai’s discourses on equality pay attention to the Rainbow Community. Her understanding of and sensitivity to diverse groups and cultures has enabled her to bring people together in safe and stimulating spaces for dialogue, collaboration and new, intersectional ways of tackling shared issues.
Ezhilarasi Manavalan from India will tackle the infamous discourse of Women that they are their worst enemies. A world-renowned Pattimandram (debate) speaker, who has shared the stage with Suki Sivam, Mohanasundaram and many other orators, she is famous for her quick wit and sharp observational skills. She has donned the role of a moderator in many Pattimandrams.
Dr Malini Anandakrishnan (Pachaivathy), from Sydney, Australia will speak on Women’s Empowerment. She has a Psychiatry and Mental Health Certificate from the University of Sydney. She runs an organisation called AMAV Australia and has trained many teachers around the globe on Tamil Methodology and helped them to teach Tamil in a short time. She is actively involved in various community projects.
Sheba Soundhar of New Zealand will be the Moderator.
Born and raised in Tamil Nadu, she lived in Oman for more than ten years with her family before migrating to New Zealand about 20 years ago. She is a real estate agent, a secondary school teacher, and a homemaker. She has played a prominent role in Muthtamil Sangam Auckland for nearly 20 years and continues to serve the Tamil community in several ways.
The segment on the Empowerment of Women will be held from 10.30 am to 11.30 am.
Malini Radakrishna Yugendran is the Secretary of the Wellington-based Aotearoa New Zealand Federation of Tamil Sangams. She lives in Auckland.
