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A 30-year history of the Kansas City Tamil Community
I can still remember the welcome party in February 1980 given to our family by the few Tamil residents in Kansas City when we first moved here. At that time, only four Tamil families resided in the metro KC area: the Rengachari family since 1967, Gowdamarajan family since 1970, Krishna family since 1977, and the Arjunan family since 1978. It was a sharp contrast to us coming from Chicago, which had over a hundred Tamil families.
Unity has been the key to the success and prosperity of the Tamil community in Kansas City. During the first half of the 80s, the Tamil families began to meet periodically to watch Tamil movies. Chitra Gowdamarajan rented new films; Padma Krishna brought projector equipment; Vimala Arjunan reserved clubhouse common area. After each movie, we always had potluck dinner. The number of families in the area increased to about 15 in this period.
With the increasing popularity of VCRs, the second half of the 80s began a period of home movie watching. I started a nonprofit Tamil Movie Club, which purchased 6-10 new cassettes of Tamil movies every month for member's use. Members were allowed to check out as many tapes as they wanted. The cost per family was only about a dollar per month. Furthermore, the community also met periodically to enjoy cultural programs. These gatherings were also usually held in clubhouses and included the traditional potluck dinners. In 1989, I had the opportunity to organize an event Muththamil Vizha – which included Iyal, Isai, and Nadagam. By this time, the number of Tamil families had increased to about 30.
The first half of the 90s included the founding of the Tamil Sangam. In September 1991, Latha Venkatesh seeded the idea of forming a Sangam in the Kansas City area. Latha and I worked together on the project for four months and inaugurated the Sangam on January 14, 1992. Dr. Savarimuthu, a famous Tamil Pulavar from Chicago, inaugurated the Sangam and Latha became its first president. Those days, the adult admission fee was only three dollars! And of course, potluck dinners followed the Sangam events. My wife, Pavalamani, managed the dinner programs at all events. Tamil Sangam grew during this period with dedicated effort from many community members such as R. Venkatesh, Lila Iyer, T.S. Viswanathan, Balu Iyer, and Hema Sharma. By 1995, the number of families had increased to about 60.
Many of you are aware of the progress during the second half of the 90s. The explosive growth in information technology has given Kansas City a new and large generation of Tamil families. Tamil Sangam readily responded to the changing needs of this growing community. Annual membership fees and minimum number of cultural and theater programs were established. The Sangam was incorporated as a nonprofit organization within the State of Kansas. By now, we had 120 families in the area.
Our philosophy has been clear from the beginning -- unity within the Tamil community. Our president's office is rotated between males and females every year. The executive committee has a balanced number of both genders. No one is allowed to serve on the committee for more than three years. Our future goals include among many others (1) become a member of the Federation of Tamil Sangams in North America and (2) Organize the Annual Convention of the All America Tamil Sangams. In pursuit of the goals, the community needs your support.
: From Founder Mr.B.Mathiprakasam
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