Aotearoa Tamil Incorporated library is helping the connoisseurs of Dravidian literature stay in touch with their literary heritage.
Founded in 2020, the library is run with the help of 12 active volunteers and has more than 60 registered members.
The Tamil language library is run by Aotearoa Tamil Incorporated(ATI) and promotes Tamil's reading, writing, and speaking skills through community engagement and special events.
Members can register and borrow books via their official website www.aotearoatamil.nz. The library membership is free, and each registered person can borrow up to three books at a time. The library offers option for people to reserve books and be placed on a waitlist if the books they want have already been borrowed.
Besides operating the library, ATI also hosts various events. These events are an excellent way for people to learn more about Tamil literature and culture and meet other Tamil books fans. The events include book discussion meet-ups for knowledge sharing, storytelling and story-writing workshops. Various cultural events are also hosted to promote the Tamil language through dance, music and theatrical performances. The association had around 150 people participating in the last event.
The library has more than 1000 Tamil books covering a wide range of subjects, including literature, poetry, history, and philosophy. Among the books available are those from luminaries such as Kalki Krishnamoorthy, Sandilyan, Ashokamithran, Jayagandhan, Jeyamohan and many more. The society is particularly proud to have acquired some of the Sahithya Academy award-winning books for the library.
The books are procured mainly through donations. The society's founder, Meyyappan Raman, donated over 100 books to help with the initial running of the library services. Singapore philanthropist, Muthappan has also donated over 300 titles of two copies each. In addition, Singapore's Youth Club has donated over 60 books for us to thrive and engage better with the community. The society continues to procure more books as the library becomes popular in the community.
The library initiative has managed to offer a safe and supportive environment for the Tamil diaspora from across the globe to bond, expand the communication network and socially interact with one another.
Members are particularly happy that by borrowing books and encouraging the children to read them, they have successfully kept them connected to the Tamil heritage, language and traditions. The society hopes to reach every Tamil residing in NZ, regardless of age.
Some of the popular events that the society has recently hosted are:
- Debate session with the Srilankan Debate Council from Jaffna and the Tamil community in Christchurch.
- Distinguished Tamil novelist Jeyamohan delivered a lecture on the viability of the Tamil language among the Tamil children residing in NZ.
- 'Short Story Writing Workshop - A Simple Introduction' conducted by a budding Malaysian author, Navin Manogaran. This was run online over three days during the Covid-19 lock-down period.
- Participated in Selwyn's Culture Fest to educate the wider communities about the rich heritage of Tamil language and culture.
Throughout the past two years, Aotearoa Tamil library has become an invaluable resource for anyone interested in learning about Tamil language and discovering Tamil literature's rich literary heritage.
The Society welcomes volunteers from around NZ to help spread the word about Aotearoa Tamil library and its activities. Those interested can email at info@aotearoatamil.nz to register as a volunteer. To become a registered
member, visit www.aotearoatamil.nz
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