IAGB Spotlight – Tamil Makkal Mandaram
November is the time of the year when we acknowledge all that we are thankful for. IAGB wants to take this opportunity to celebrate the generosity of our supporters, volunteers, as well as our partners in the community work that we are committed to. IAGB has been working and will continue to work with many like-minded local community organizations. We believe that the interactions and exchanges with these organizations help build a supportive network for the community based on mutual trust. A perfect example of such partnerships is cooperation between IAGB and Tamil Makkal Mandaram (TMM).
No good community organization prospers and flourishes without good volunteers. And TMM has been able to find and attract such volunteers since the beginning. President Ramesh Kumar believes that to be able to volunteer for the community is a great gift and not everyone gets that chance. As he has been involved with TMM since its inception, he knows first-hand how the leadership has taken efforts to build an inclusive environment so that innovative ideas are brought to the table without any hesitation.
The organization has a clear structure and role division among its board members with an implicit understanding that all team members are always available to help each other. At the same time every new leadership tries to take the organization ahead with new improvements and additions. Until now TMM was organizing cultural events and handling social, charitable responsibilities under the same banner. However the current board under Ramesh Kumar’s leadership has decided to create a new entity ‘TMM Cares’ to enhance and extend its charitable work. The organization already sets aside funds, even from the sponsorships, to support local and Tamil community in the New England area and also in the region of Tamilnadu, India. Ramesh Kumar believes that a separate entity will help TMM to devote much more efforts and resources to serve the community in the future.
TMM came into existence with an objective of retaining and fostering Tamil language and culture. Sectarian, ethnic, or religious discrimination is anathema to them. Ramesh Kumar firmly believes that spreading the language and culture is possible only if people from other communities are brought together as well. They make special efforts to have other community organizations to be present at their events. TMM truly recognizes the principle of ‘Unity in diversity’.
Like everyone else in the world, surviving the pandemic, was a challenge for the TMM. They faced it gracefully and came back to holding in person events with a new fervor. In fact they were one of the first organizations to begin bringing back the community together in person. This would not have been possible without an energized volunteer base. Ramesh Kumar’s only appeal to the community is to acknowledge the volunteers’ devotion by showing up at events and by taking advantage of all that is offered to the public at large.
We wish Ramesh Kumar and his team all the best!