VtS Volunteers at ISA Global Café
Friday, October 18, 2013
CGE, 110 South Woodward Avenue
Tallahassee, FL 32306
VtS volunteered for Global Café for FSU ISA (Indian Students Association of Florida State University). They served both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food at The Globe. The Global Café is once a month fundraiser for various Student Government Organization members like, ISA, AASU, and FSU-JSA.
2013 Utsav Hindi Comedy Drama
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Godby High School Auditorium
Ceremonies for Appa and Amma
Saturday and Sunday, April 27 and 28 2013
Vedaraniam
Tamil Nadu, India
Thayumanaswamy Rajalakshmi passed away on Tamil New Year’s day on Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 9:00 AM in Chengal Pattu, Tamil Nadu, India on the lap of her son, Thiyagarajan. The cremation with full Hindu religious rites was held on Monday, April 15, 2013 at 12:00 Noon in Vedaraniam as per her wishes and her ashes were disbursed in Bay of Bengal. The tenth and eleventh day Hindu religious rites were held together with her beloved husband’s on Saturday and Sunday April 27 and 28, 2013 in the ancestral home and at Vedamirtha Lake in Vedaraniam.
Appakutty Somasundaram Thayumanaswamy Pillai passed away on Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 6:00 PM in Chengal Pattu, Tamil Nadu, India surrounded by all his children, just four days after his second wife passed away. The cremation with full Hindu religious rites was held on Friday, April 19, 2013 at 6:00 PM in Vedaraniam, his ancestral town, as per his wishes and his ashes were disbursed in Bay of Bengal. The tenth and eleventh day Hindu religious rites were held together with his beloved wife’s on Saturday and Sunday April 27 and 28, 2013 in the ancestral home and at Vedamirtha Lake in Vedaraniam.
He is survived by two sons Somasundaram (Gnanabhanu) of Tallahassee, FL, USAand Thiyagarajan (Anita) of Chengal Pattu;three daughters Swarnambal (Rathnakumar) of Tambaram, Thillaikkarasi (Shanmugavelu) of Trichy, and Ambika (Vijaay) of Thanjavur all in Tamil Nadu, India; eight grandchildren Gayathri (Sri Ram) of Tambaram, Niveditha and Muthu Kumaran of Trichy, Vivek Thayumanam of Tallahassee, FL, USA, Vidhushini and Arjun Thaimanam of Chengal Pattu, and Sibi Kiran and RishiHrithik of Thanjavur; and one great grandson Abhay Krishna of Tambaram.
Appa passes away
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India; 6:00 PM
விஜய வருடம், சித்திரை மாதம் 5- ஆம் தேதி, வியாழக் கிழமை மாலை 6 மணி
Appakutty Somasundaram Thayumanaswamy Pillai
Appakutty Somasundaram Thayumanaswamy Pillai (aka AST and Thayumanam) was born in Vedaraniam, Madras Presidency, India on Wednesday, December 8, 1926 as the third child of Appakutty SomasundaramPillai and Thillai Kannu Aachi belonging to the Saiva Vellalarsect. He grew up with three sisters and was well liked both by hisparents, sisters, and cousin. He completed eighth grade in the local middle school and went to Nannilam to complete his high school. After completing his high school, he returned to Vedaraniam to take care of the family businesses of salt production and tobacco farming.
In 1952, Thayumanammarried Kuppuswamy Pattammal of Velukudi. They both had two beautiful children, Swarnambal in 1954 and Somasundaram in 1959. Following his father’s death in 1956, he became the sole owner of the family business of salt production and ran it successfully until early 1990s. Despite his tireless efforts to find a cure and medicine for a heart ailment that afflicted his beloved first wifePattammal, in April 1965 he lost her.
ஓn September 8, 1965, he married Vedanayagam Rajalakshmi from Thirupayathan Gudi. They both had three wonderful children, Thiyagarajan in 1966, Thillaikkarasi in 1968,and Ambika in 1976. Even though he was only a high-school graduate from rural India, AST foresaw the importance of education and spent his life time and money in educating all his children. All of them went to on complete college and became educators and business owners.
AST was a courageous person never letting difficulties in his life impede with the goals he has set for himself and his children. He was a problemsolver, a pacifist, and a great organizer. He was the General Secretary for Salt Merchants Association for over a decade and foresaw expansion of salt production and distribution through Indian Railways. He was a patron of Hindu religion, donating money, time, and land to several religious activities and ceremonies. He gave free books to children from low-income households and took personal care of all his employees.
Appakutty Somasundaram Thayumanaswamy Pillai passed away on Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 6:00 PM in Chengal Pattu, Tamil Nadu, India surrounded by all his children, just four days after his second wife passed away.
Amma Passes away
Tamil New Year Morning
Sunday, April 14, 2013, 9 AM
விஜய வருடம், சித்திரை மாதம் 1- ஆம் தேதி, ஞாயிற்று கிழமை காலை 9 மணி
Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India
Thayumanaswamy Rajalakshmi Aachi
Thayumanaswamy Rajalakshmi (aka Bhooma) was born in Thirupayanthan Gudi, Madras Presidency, India on Wednesday, January 8, 1941 as the third child of T. S. Vedanayagam Pillai and Seetha Lakshmy Ammal. She grew up in the farming village with several of her brothers and sisters and was well liked both by her parents and siblings. She completed eighth grade in the local middle school and was a studious student. Bhooma’s father was a farmer and her mother maintained a household with nine children where Bhooma took up the responsibility of being a big sister to many of her younger siblings.
On September 8, 1965, she married Appakutty Somasundaram Thayumanaswamy Pillai of Vedaraniam and moved to Vedaraniam (aka Thirumarai Kadu). There she had a dual role of a wife and a step mother to young children, Swarnambal and Somasundaram. Bhooma excelled in both by showering affection to the newly motherless children and a wife who needed to run a larger household by herself. Bhooma also took care of her mother-in-law until latter’s death in 1968. She gave birth to three wonderful children Thiyagarajan in 1966, Thillaikkarasi in 1968 and Ambika in 1976.Until her death,she took care of herself and her beloved husband even as his health was failing. She was an excellent cook and a pious person following the Hindu religious customs and worship. She was a great role model to all her children and never complained about anything.
Thayumanaswamy Rajalakshmi passed away on Tamil New Year’s day on Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 9:00 AM in Chengal Pattu, Tamil Nadu, India on the lap of her son, Thiyagarajan.
Bridging Cultures Bookshelf
Leon County Public Library
Thursday, Apr 4, 2013
I attended the Bridging Cultures Bookshelf opening ceremony at Leon County Public Library Meeting Room today. Asian Coalition of Tallahassee was one of those who wrote letter in support of Leon County Public Library System in getting the book grant from NEH.
Hindu Religious Path
Talk at FAMU School of Architecture
Class of Prof Ted White, Friday, March 29, 2013, 11:15-12:05 PM
I was an invited speaker at FAMU School of Architecture in Prof Ted White’s class. I spoke for about an hour on Hindu Religious Path. I covered basic concepts of Hinduism, about Hindus, rituals, festivals and beliefs.
There were about eight students who took the class. After about 35 minutes of talk we had about 15 minutes of question and answer session.
First day at work
March 1
Winter in bay city
After several sleepless hours and after picking up a coffee in the early morning hours I cam to work. My boss would introduce me to almost everyone in the department.
What? How long it has been already?
Travel into the Bay city
Feb 28th
Winter
I traveled in winter to the city on the bay. The snow was on the ground, one of my lab colleagues came to pick me up at the airport. It was so different. Time flies
Prepare site for EAF 2012
Friday, October 05, 2012
Downtown Tallahassee, FL
A bunch of volunteers took some time off (I took half-day off) and came to Chain of Parks in Downtown Tallahassee. We had reserved Bloxham and Lewis parks for our eighth annual Experience Asia Festival 2012. So we started the site preparation for tomorrow’s event.
The first thing we did was to measure the site and started to mark areas for foods, arts and crafts vendors on the Lewis Park. Then we measured and marked the area for ACT members and information booths on the Bloxham parks. One set of volunteers measured and other set of volunteers tied brightly colored threads to mark the stall and open space between them. Another set of volunteers went around affixing the numbers that corresponded to the vendors and members.
Around 7 PM we were done and we all went home.