Palace Theater hosts FeTNA 2010 convention

During the Fourth of July weekend, Waterbury, Connecticut was bristling with

Therukoothu dance performance activities – full of glamour, grandeur and color. This was one of the biggest Tamil Conventions ever hosted by South Asian Tamils of North America in Connecticut history. FeTNA, an umbrella organization for nearly 35-40 state-level groups, is a non-profit, nonpartisan, literary, cultural organization that attracts nearly 2,000 Tamils each year. Everyone had something to look forward to. Tamil, recognized as a classical language, is one of the ancient languages of the Dravidian Era and has a recorded history going back two millennia, with rich cultural heritage and classical literature.

For the last 23 years, the Federation of Tamil Sangams (Associations) of North America, or FeTNA, has presented a Mega event annually in a different state and city, where the Tamils of North America congregate, celebrate their culture, recognize community achievements, organize professional forums, enjoy Music, Dance, Literature and Theater performances and rejoice in meeting Gollywood (South Indian movie) artists, film and music directors, eminent speakers/poets and soap opera stars from India.

Mayor of Waterbury, Michael J. Jarijura The locals also get to showcase their talent in this three-day mega Event. Even for a non-Tamil, the language is not a barrier. There is so much for the eyes, the ears and the palate. The main function started on the morning of July 3 by welcoming the chief guests with special music and a children’s procession, followed by a variety of performances. The stage was set to receive all the special guests from India. Chief Guests who graced the occasion include the famous Tamil cinema director Bharathiraja, famous movie stars Vikram, Priyamani, Lakshmi Roy, Comedian Actor Santhanam, Srinath, Tamil Poet Thamarai, Tamil professor Parveen Sultana and Tamil spiritual leader Marudhachala Adigalar. Mr. Michael J. Jarijura, Honorable Mayor of Waterbury, also graced the occasion.

FeTNA honored Top 10 Tamil Entrepreneurs from around the United States The evening of July 3 offered a treat for the ears, as all the chief guests gave their speeches. While Prof. Sultana, Poet Thamarai and Director Bharathiraja gave excellent speech, Actor Vikram took questions from the audience and gave fitting answers to them. Comedian Actor Santhanam was, as usual, hilarious during his speech.

On Sunday, the evening of July 4, there was a special Tamil folk opera called Madhurai Veeran (the hero of the city, Madurai, in Tamilnadu) or “Therukoothu.” This is a street play like a village theater and is an ancient art form, with simple props and informal interaction with the audience that makes it very entertaining. The artists were from Chennai, India and are specially trained in this tradition of art from a very early age. This program held the entire audience in pin-drop silence and the 10-minute standing ovation after the event showed the elegance and classiness of the performance of the artists.

On the night of July 4, there was a light music program, with songs from Tamil movies. Famous singers Harish Raghavendra, Suchithra Karthik sang the popular numbers, while the Star Vikram himself joined and sang with them, and the audience reciprocated their appreciation by applauding loudly. FeTNA also honored Top 10 Tamil Entrepreneurs from around the United States. Apart from these, there were other entertainment items presented by U.S. based Tamil chapters. There were also breakout sessions such as Continuing Medical Education (CME), an Entrepreneurs’ forum, Singles’ Forum, Young Tamils Forum, Tamil Bloggers meet, etc.

The entire convention was planned under the able and dynamic leadership of Dr. Pazhani Sundaram of Connecticut, who was the Coordinator of the Convention. The President of FeTNA, Dr. Muthuvel Chelliah, from Columbia, MD, joined hands with Dr. Pazhani Sundaram by providing enormous support and guidance. Hundreds of volunteers worked tirelessly to make this event a huge success thus earning the Tamils a definitive place in Connecticut history. Please visit www.fetna.org for all other details.