The sounds of the mridangam reverberated the air as women clad in colorful kanjeevarams, their hair adorned with the jasmine, men in traditional veshtis, and young girls in the langa-vonis (half-saris) gathered at the Montgomery Performing Arts Center here, May 26 and 27 for the 44th annual convention hosted by the Tamil Nadu Foundation.
The foundation is the largest and oldest U.S.-based charity organization that is solely focused on the state of Tamil Nadu, TNF president Dr. Somalay Somasundaram told India Abroad. “TNF has implemented more than 600 projects on education, women’s empowerment, rural development and healthy and hygiene throughout Tamil Nadu since 1974,” he said.
Over the course of the two days, more than 1,400 delegates were treated to a variety of programs – from presentations on TNF’s humanitarian activities, to panel discussions and debates on the goings on in the state as well as Tamil culture and traditions by Bharathi Baskar and Pattimandram Raja of SUN TV, a Carnatic music workshop by Nithyasree Mahadevan, a Siddha medicine workshop, an immigration workshop and cultural programs and traditional cuisine.
At a youth convention, held in parallel over the two days, Tamil youth got together to discuss various issues like college admissions, keeping up with the Tamil culture, volunteering in India and in the U.S. and how community service helps build not just a resume but life skills for the youth.
As part of the convention, youth displayed models displaying their ancestral villages in Tamil Nadu. It was a perfect chance to show off their creativity, as children used clay, cardboard, poster boards and foam to make models, build houses and construct roads and farms, transporting the convention-goers to their native villages.
Youth also got a chance to get an insight into various career options by listening to and interacting with people who have excelled in their respective fields. For a career in public service in the U.S., students could interact with Krish Vignaraja, policy director to former First Lady Michelle Obama and a candidate for Maryland’s gubernatorial race, and Thiru Vignarajah, the former Deputy Attorney General of Maryland and candidate for Baltimore City State’s Attorney.
By Lokesh
