The Tamil Youth Organisation hosted the 15th year celebratory event of Ilanthalir on Sunday 15th March 2020 at Caterham High School, Ilford. This event saw many seeds of Eelam, suitably fitting for the theme of the event, performing a variety of music, dance, drama and poetry. The evening commenced with the Mangala Vilakku. The Mangala Vilakku was lit by Mr and Mrs Fatimaharan, followed by the hoisting of the national flag of Tamil Eelam by members of the Tamil Youth Organisation.
The first performance of the evening began with an exciting solo performance for the song Thai Thanthai Pirantha Naadu Tamileelam. The dance was performed with an incredible amount of energy justly opening Ilanthalir 2020. A moving, melodic violin performance followed, performed by two enthusiastic young violinists. Next, Harshika Rajakumar showcased her bharatanatyam to the song Thai Mannai Muthamida Vendum. Her expressions and graceful dancing reached the audience well.
Our chief guest for the night was Mr Fatimaharan. From the days of Suthanthiran newspaper in Jaffna to newspapers such as Eelanadu, he has used his writing skills to create a name for himself. He has also received numerous honourable titles in the UK. He is a journalist, a political analyst and has dedicated himself to many such roles. He gave a heart-warming and touching speech. He spoke dearly about our motherland Tamil Eelam and the struggles that were faced. He addressed strongly his sincere gratitude to the Eelam Tamil diaspora who have not forgotten their history and requested them to continue making our future generations aware of the struggles they faced back home.
Waltham Forest Tamil school students performed a variety act. A dance drama showing the importance of farming and what the heart-breaking effects the human life has caused on the environment and the world. This educational performance enlightened many with the interest to create awareness of pollution, both land and sea and the effects of plastic waste. Students of Sudar Kalai Palli sang a classic Eelam song beautifully. Through the vote of thanks TYO UK expressed utmost gratitude to the sponsors, performers, parents and audience who made Ilanthair 2020 a
successful night. Our main sponsors are as follows; GVS Images Photography, Rahjam Designer
Silks, Sathiyams, JNL Jenvas Ltd, Hyper Events, RBB Building Ltd and Saravanaa Bhavan. We are also appreciative of the many former members who contributed significantly towards the cost of this event.
Students of Nallaikumaran Narthanalayam ranging from age 4 to 16 performed a passionate dance piece enacting some of the unbearable horrors and sorrows faced by Eelam Tamils. Showing also how our national leader provided a sense of hope whilst fighting for our freedom and liberation.
Throughout the event TYO UK also honoured our special guests, who came to Ilanthalir 2020 and graced us with their presence. Many thanks to Mr and Mrs Balaravi, Mr Kuhachandran, Mr and Mrs Mahendran, Mrs Selvam Parameswary and Mr Ragu for their continued support throughout this 15 year journey.
The beautiful voice of Thenuga Sivanesarajah captured the hearts of all those in the audience. Her voice tender and sweet made those in the audience wanting more. A tribute video for our dear former coordinator Thikshika Sribalakrishnan was played just before the break.
The exhibition consisted of artwork and poems by many seeds of Eelam. We were overwhelmed by the support diaspora artists provided for us to showcase their creative pieces. This also enabled us to do some fundraising as members of the audience bought some of these unique pieces.
The second half of the show consisted of further dance performances by Sudar Kalai Palli students who performed an uplifting and creative dance performance depicting the life of Eelam Tamils at sea. London Lewisham Sivan Tamil School students performed an effortless dance to Vanni Mannile.
The students of Tamil Kalvi Kalaiyakam – Harrow on the hill performed an exciting and somewhat emotional drama. They enacted the scene where Pandara Vanniyan was taken to court by the British. Pandaravanniyan was known to many as the king who rose to revolt against the British Ceylon empire. He died battling the British colonial rule on the island.
Musical Wonders, a band made of three talented siblings, Piranavan, Piraveena and Piraveenan Kirupakaran performed the songs Tamil Eelathin Alagu, Thenangketru Thendral and Annai Tamileela Manne Unnai. Each of them playing an instrument both sacred and extremely valued by all. Piranavan took the beat playing the Thavil. Piraveena soothingly and melodically played the veena and to top it all off Piraveenan played the nathaswaram as the cherry on top to make the trio lively and entertaining to listen to.
Two of our talented youngsters amongst the upcoming generation of diaspora Tamils from Dartford Tamil Knowledge Centre performed an energetic Eelam song. The dynamic duo captured the audience with their lively performance.
The final performance of Ilanthalir 2020 concluded with a dance performance to Pirabakaran engal valli kaati, as we continue to follow the path of our national leader and heroes. Throughout these 15 years TYO UK has shown its commitment to continue the fight for the liberation of our nation and we are grateful to everyone who has supported us through this journey.
