Archive for the ‘India’ Category

Tallahassee Tamil Sangam Picnic

Tuesday, June 19th, 2012

Tallahassee Tamil Sangam Picnic

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Wakulla Spring State Park

Wakulla Springs, FL 32327

 

Tallahassee Tamil Sangam organized 2012 Summer picnic & 2012 Father’s Day at the Wakulla Springs State Park, Wakulla Springs, FL 32327. About dozen families gathered at the Park’s picnic area near the entrance to the Springs and Boating Facilities. The kids and father’s started to play American Football and Indian cricket game. The cricket game quickly became a fun activity and had to be moved to an open area with more than 12 kids and dads participating at one time or other.

We took pictures of all the fathers and then pictures of fathers and their kids. Soon every one headed for the springs for swimming and diving. People spent about an hour at the springs and around 2 PM gathered back at the picnic area for lunch, snacks, drinks, and ice cream.

The play resumed after the lunch and went on until about 3:30 PM. Despite the small turn-out but due to the beautiful weather and enthusiasm the 2012 Father’s Day was a grand success.

Journey through Pageantry of India

Saturday, June 2nd, 2012

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Rythms and Colorful Pagentry of India

Saturday, June 02, 2012

7-9 PM Opperman Music Hall

We all three attended this evening’s music program presented at the FSU College of Music by Mrs Padmini auntie. The evening was very nice with pleasant weather. We arrived few minutes past 7 PM and the Opperman Music Hall was packed to capacity. We went in soon after the program started and enjoyed the whole event.

It was really great evening for the Indian Community and we are all proud that we knew Mrs Padmini.

Tamil Lessons (Vowels and Consonants)

Thursday, May 24th, 2012

Tamil Lessons   தமிழ் பாட ங்கள்

Tamil Vowels and Consonants Lessons

Tallahassee, FL 32317

May 24, 2012

I have spent few hours and made some simple Tamil Lessons on vowels and consonants and added them to my Tamil website: tamil.somasundaram.us/tamil_lessons.html and  to tlh-tamilsangam.somasundaram.us

The lessons cover Tamil vowels and consonants and are meant to be simple tools for parents of Tamil loving people whose children are born in places where Tamil is not routinely taught. The lessons are both in English and Tamil. The parents or those interested in learning Tamil language can use them to teach others or learn Tamil themselves. I will continue to add more lessons whenever I find time to do. Please contact me if you find it useful.

In  Tamil Lessons 01 and o2 we will learn the vowels.   In  Tamil Lessons 03 and o4 we will learn the consonants.  I will introduced all thirteen (13) of the vowels and eighteen (18) consonants in the lessons with columns for the Tamil vowel letter, its English pronunciation, the Tamil word, the same word transliterated in English, word equivalent in English, and a picture of the word. My intention is to make it easier for parents of Tamil loving people to give a resource to teach Tamil to their children. If you find this useful, please contact me at: mail@somasundaram.us. I will continue to add more lessons when I have time. Please let me know its usefulness and give your suggestions. Please feel free to use it, but contact and let me know that you are using it. I want to know whether my efforts have an impact. Thanks.

இந்த முதல் பாடத்தில் தமிழ் உயிரெழுத்துக்களை படிக்கலாம். தமிழ் உயிரெழுத்துக்கள் பதிமுன்று (13). அவையனைத்தையும் இந்த பக்கம் தொடங்கி இன்னும் இரண்டு பக்கங்களில் பார்க்கலாம். உயிரெழுத்து, அதன் ஆங்கில உச்சரிப்பு, தமிழ் வார்த்தை, வார்த்தையின் ஆங்கில உச்சரிப்பு, ஆங்கில மொழிபெயர்ப்பு, வார்த்தையின் படம். இந்த பாடங்கள் உதவியாக இருந்தால் தயவு செய்து என்னை தொடர்பு கொள்ளவும்.

Speak at Dept of Health

Tuesday, May 8th, 2012

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Kick-off Event

FL Department of Health

Office of Minority Health Affairs | State-wide telecast

Tuesday, May 8, 2012, 12:00 Noon to 1:30 PM

Today I gave a 30 minute presentation about Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration at the Florida Department of Health’s Office Minority Health Affairs’ celebration of Asian Pacific American Health Initiative.

I was invited to give this talk as one of the four events the Florida Dept of Health’s Office of Minority Health Affairs will telecast state-wide to the benefit of various members. This was the first year this department included Asian Pacific Americans as one of their constituents who need to be included.

The staff did a wonderful job of preparing the webinar and telecast. My talk was about 35 minutes which was followed by a Q+A session and video broadcast of recent Asian American Heritage Month Celeberation at Montford Middle School in Tallahasssee.

Celebrate dad and mom’s birthdays

Sunday, December 25th, 2011

Celebrate dad and mom’s birthdays

Sunday, Dec 25, 2011

JCK Nagar, Chengalpattu, India

Everyone of my siblings (except our family) and their partners along with their children descended on Chengalpattu on this day morning for a surprise birthday party for my dad and mom. Even my brother didn’t know what was happening (of course, his wife knew since they needed to decorate my brother’s house while he was working).

Based on what my sisters told middle BIL arrived early that morning and my little sister’s family arrived in the morning as well. My middle sis and bro were already there. My old sis and her family arrived around noon. While everyone was talking tom mom and dad they decorated my brother’s house. They had ordered a cake and that too arrived soon.

Then they presented with new set of clothes for my dad and mom who were surprised and asked the reason. They didn’t get a good answer. Then finally my brother drove mom and dad to his house where they realized what was going on.

Mom gave everyone some cake and they all had a good time. Even though this day was NOT their birthdays (they are in Dec and Jan, respectively) dad and mom were able to enjoy the day since everyone was there to celebrate.

Tamil Sangam Diwali Party

Sunday, November 13th, 2011

Tamil Sangam Diwali Party

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Tallahassee, FL

The Tallahassee Tamil Sangam celebrated the Diwali with a evening party on Saturday, November 12, 2011. About 50 families brought in pot-luck dinner items, snacks, party supplies, and fireworks to the party.

The program started at 6:00 PM at the Rec Hall in FSU Alumni Village. The snacks were served first and around 7 PM all the kids were invited to a short fireworks fun. Many parents brought their own fireworks (only those approved in the State of Florida). The adults watched over the fun in a basketball court (concrete floor).

Then at 7:45 the dinner was served and then the kids put on two dance items. Then the dessert was served. By 9:30 we completed the party and everyone pitched in to clean

எந்திரன் தமிழ் படம்; Enthiran, The Robot Movie

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010

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எந்திரன் தமிழ் படம்; Enthiran, The Robot Movie

Wednesday, Oct 27, 2010; 7:30 to 10:30 PM

Tallahassee Movies 8, 2812 Sharer Road, Tallahassee, FL 32312

The Tamil movie Enthiran, The Robot  (எந்திரன் தமிழ் படம்) was screened today at the Tallahassee Movies 8 cine complex. Couple of people from local Tallahassee Desi Movies brought this movie to town.

There were about 70-80 people (including kids) at the auditorium during the screening. The movie features Tamil movie star Super Star Rajini Kanth ரஜினிகாந்த் (name at birth, Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, to a Marathi family) and Aishwarya Rai ஐஸ்வர்யா ராய் in a futuristic movie about the interactions of humans and humanoids.

The movie included lots of animaiton and computer generated graphics. The movie scenes were shot at Peru and Brazil in addition to India. It was the first Tamil movie we saw this year.

We all enjoyed the movie.

Durga Pooja Celebration

Friday, October 15th, 2010

Durga Pooja Celebration

Friday, October 15, 2010, 6:00 – 8:00 PM

Tallahassee, Florida

 

We were invited to join in the Durga Pooja (Puja) celebration at a close friend’s residence. They have been doing the poojas for a long-time. So I went to their house after I came back from work. They have been performing the pooja for most of the day and I joined them during the time for the “Aarathi”. Several others joined us around 7 PM. There were songs about goddess Durga and everyone performed individual aartis.

There was special prasad for those who had gathered. I had to leave around 8 PM as I had to go to Navarathri celebration at the Gujarati Samaj later in the night.

Pew Forum on Religion

Monday, October 4th, 2010

Quiz from Pew Forum on Religion

Monday, October 04, 2010

Tallahassee, FL, USA

Following the much publicised recent results about Americans and their knowledge about religion that showed that even though most Americans consider themselves very religious their knowledge of religion was NOT that high, I thought I would test my own knowledge about religion. Since birth I have been a follower of one faith, the one I was born into, and about half of my life I spent in a country where that faith has been the predominant one. Then during second half my life, I am living in a country where my faith is not the predominant one.

So, I went to Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and took the 15 question quiz about religion. Several questions related Judo Christian faiths and there were about 4 questions about Eastern religions. After finishing the test, I was surprised to learn that I answered correctly 14 out of the 15 questions.

 Glad to know that at least I know something about religion. Thank God!!!

Sweet Taste of the Arts

Friday, September 17th, 2010

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Sweet Taste of the Arts

Tallahassee Senior Center

1400 North Monroe Street 32303

Tallahassee, FL

We performed a stand-up comedy routine as part of Sweet Taste of the Arts program to benefit the Tallahassee Senior Center this evening at the main Tallahassee Senior Center building located at the intersection of North Monroe Street and Seventh Avenue near Lake Ella.

The program started around 6:00 PM with selection of fine artists and visual artists. The fine artists included dancers, singers, musicians, and our comeic routine. The visual artists included seniors whose painting were displayed at the center.