When I joined, I started to really see the impact TLS has. From spending time with the elderly at CSPD, to seeing the eagerness of students at Saadhana, the excitement at Spectra, and the passion for Tamil at Yutham. These programmes showed me what TLS is all about. They are the heartbeat of the society, traditions that have been carried forward for 50 years.

Karthik, the 46th President, and I attended an event where a student from the Malay Language Society came up to us. He told us that he had watched the recent Sangae Muzhangu and was amazed by how a student organisation could manage to put together something that big, with over 2,000 people coming to watch. He mentioned that the Malay Society could only dream of putting up something like that. At that moment, I felt very proud.

This year, we celebrated 50 years of NUS TLS, which is a huge milestone. As part of the Archival Committee for the Gala Dinner event, I got to learn more about our history, and had the chance to speak to many alumni. Talking to them gave me an even newer perspective.

I remember a conversation I had with Professor Veeramani, one of the founders of TLS. He shared that the founding of TLS was a revolution. Back then, there were only a handful of Tamil students in our national university. Many couldn’t get in because they were not very academically inclined. There was a clear issue of Tamil representation. To change this, the founding members started Saadhana. They personally tutored secondary and JC students, sacrificing their own free time, so that those students could excel and join top institutions like NUS.

He also said something that really stuck with me. Even when it was pouring rain, Tamil people were in a situation where they could not even seek shelter in a school. However, after we organised the very first Tamil Conference, our community realised that we too had an identity, a space, and recognition within Singapore.

That is why a small spark was born from our awakening. Even if that spark has now grown into a great flame, keeping it burning and ensuring it never fades is not just our responsibility, it is our right.

Next year, we will once again host this landmark conference, and to lead TLS into that moment as President is something I feel genuinely proud and excited about.

To my 47th Committee, we have an exciting year ahead. For the first time, we will be introducing ICs from the previous committee, which shows that TLS is ready to grow and expand. We are aiming to go bigger and create even more impact.

Our conference will be bold, real, and thorough, but along the way, we will also have fun and make memories as a team. There will be late nights, last-minute rushes, and maybe even a bit of chaos here and there, but these are the moments that will bring us closer together. It’s in those random suppers at Al-Ammans, the shared laughter, and the excitement of seeing everything finally come together that will create memories of a lifetime.

Like I said, I once had the toxic mindset that TLS was beneath me. But today, TLS is the only thing I hold above me.

Let us keep the flame going.

Thank you.