The First-ever International Tamil conference in Wellington to discuss Women's Empowerment

By: WE Staff | Tuesday, 25 October 2022

On November 12, 2022, the first-ever international conference on Tamil to take place in Wellington. Academics, inspirational speakers, social entrepreneurs, and community leaders from Singapore, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka will attend. Australia, New Zealand, and India.

The Aotearoa New Zealand Federation of Tamil Sangams (ANTS) Inc.-organized one-day event will be held in the Lower Hutt Event Centre from 9 am to 4 pm.

The day programme is free to attend, but pre-registration is required at www.tamilConference.co.nz.

Following that, a gala dinner and entertainment programme will start at 7 pm at the same location, with political officials, ambassadors, and other notables in attendance. There is a cap of 200 people for this paid event. Tickets can be purchased online at www.tamilConference.co.nz, the conference website.

The notion of a Tamil Conference has been in the works since since the Federation was founded, according to ANTS President Raveen Annamalai, but it hasn't been implemented because of the pandemic and the ensuing border closures.

The occasion will include discussions on the changing identities of Tamil youth, foster community among participants, and serve as a vehicle for passing down the language, culture, legacy, and identity to the next generation.

The release of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in Tamil, a Mori Tamil Souvenir Coin, and 101 Mori Quotes in Tamil will be among the Conference's highlights.

The Conference will be divided into five parts, each of which will cover a topic of interest to Tamil speakers. The first one of these will focus on empowerment.

Prabha Ravi, an education consultant, arts educator, and community leader, will lecture on Women and the Economy in this session. She will discuss financial literacy and financial freedom.

Singaporean Kokila Annamalai will lecture about gender equality. Men and women have been considered as two opposites in discussions about gender. Ms. Annamalai, however, pays attention to the Rainbow Community in her speeches on equality. She has been able to bring people together in safe and engaging settings for debate, cooperation, and new, intersectional approaches to solving shared problems because to her grasp of and sensitivity to diverse groups and cultures.

India's Ezhilarasi Manavalan will address the famed statement that women are their own greatest enemy. She is a well-known pattimandram (debate) speaker who has performed with many prominent orators, such Suki Sivam, Mohanasundaram, and is noted for her wit and keen observational abilities. She has participated in numerous Pattimandrams as a moderator.

Australian speaker Dr. Malini Anandakrishnan (Pachaivathy), from Sydney, will discuss women's empowerment. She has a University of Sydney Certificate in Psychiatry and Mental Health. She is the founder of AMAV Australia, an organisation that has trained numerous instructors all over the world in Tamil methodology and assisted them in quickly teaching Tamil. She actively participates in several civic initiatives.

She was born and raised in Tamil Nadu, moved to Oman with her family for more than ten years, and then moved to New Zealand about 20 years ago. She works as a real estate agent, a secondary school teacher, and a housewife. She has been actively involved with Muthtamil Sangam Auckland for almost 20 years and is still providing several services to the Tamil community.

From 10.30 to 11.30, a programme on women's empowerment will be presented.