A RESOLUTION TO PROCLAIM & DECLARE THE MONTH OF JANUARY AS THE
TAMIL HERITAGE MONTH
We, The Tamil Heritage Month UK is coordinated by Tamil Heritage Society UK in partnership with organizations and multilateral agencies representing various aspirations of the Tamils living in the UK are fully committed to proclaiming and declaring the Month of January as the Tamil Heritage Month.
Tamils first arrived in the UK in the 1940s. During the early days, many came to propel their higher education. In later years, many others arrived in the UK in search of better opportunities and lifestyles and made the UK their new home, finding in it a space where they could live peacefully and freely without the fear of discrimination and ethnic tension. In those years, a substantial number of UK Tamils have risen to contribute to society, including business, science, medicine, education, civil rights, politics, and have been providing a vibrant piece of the cultural fabric.
We, The Tamil Heritage Month UK are working to raise awareness about those contributions and to stem the roots of Tamil Heritage by bringing out stories of UK Tamils and their life experience.
Proclaiming the month of January as Tamil Heritage Month is an opportunity to remember, celebrate and educate future generations about the inspirational role that Tamils have played and continue to play in communities across the United Kingdom.
Recognizing the Tamil language, literature, and tradition can immensely contribute to enriching the lives of the wider society and its rich inheritance which reflects various art forms, traditions & trends, food & culture, medicinal values, and historical personalities, to say the least.
January is an important month for Tamils as it signifies the month of the Harvest Festival known as Thai Pongal as well other Tamil artistic and cultural events. Thai Pongal falls in the month of ‘Thai’ (January) which is the tenth month in the Tamil calendar. The celebration and festivities are to thank the sun god, earth, the rain god, the cattle, and other natural elements contributing to a wholesome harvest.
Hundreds of cultures and communities around the world have similar celebrations commonly known as Thanksgiving Day, a validation that the Tamil literature with its strong roots has been providing a scheme of human civilization.
Tamil, the oldest living language in the world and is spoken by some eighty million people around the world. Tamils are the proud inheritors of a timeless heritage, dating back to 4500 years. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of Tamils are living in the UK and are now of significant importance.
In Canada, the Province of Ontario recognized this significance and passed an Act in 2014 to proclaim the month of January Tamil Heritage Month.
The Canadian Federal Government declared January as Tamil Heritage Month in 2016 under M-24, to recognize and celebrate the many contributions Canadians of Tamil descent have made to Canada, as well as their extraordinary language and culture.
These illustrious achievements were possible only because of the extraordinary vision and commitment of various social & business organizations and by significant individuals.
More importantly a reflection of a remarkable commitment by the Canadian Parliament to recognizing and integrating diversity into government policies.
We resolve to request the Parliament and the Government of the United Kingdom to promulgate the Month of January as the Tamil Heritage Month, like the actions of the Canadian Parliament in 2016.
