Royal Borough mayor joins Maidenhead Tamil School's Annual Day celebrations

A Tamil school in Maidenhead has celebrated its seventh Annual Day with an afternoon of culture and community spirit.

Royal Borough mayor Cllr Mandy Brar joined the Maidenhead Tamil School to enjoy performances, music and activities at Holyport War Memorial Hall. 

More than 170 people joined in with the festivities, which featured drama, dance and speeches performed by more than 50 students, showcasing their cultural pride and language skills.

The performances were conducted in both Tamil and English.

The event kicked off with attendees paying their respects to the Tamil language by singing traditional song Tamil Thaai Vaazhthu, which honours the 5,000-year-old language.

Students then performed classical dance form Bharatanatyam.

The songs selected for the performance were based on the ancient Tamil literature Thirukkural, which was written more than 2,000 years ago.

During the event Cllr Brar delivered a speech, highlighting the importance of remembering one’s identity and roots and how it fosters mutual respect and boosts participation in the local community.

Youngsters from reception through to year seven took part in a range of cultural performances throughout the event.

Organisers said a ‘crowd favourite’ on the day was a drama performance by students aged four and five.

Winners of previously held drawing competitions, quizzes and other activities were also recognised during the event.

Cllr Brar presented some of the awards.

After almost four hours of cultural activities, guests enjoyed refreshments and had the chance to socialise and connect with each other.

The Maidenhead Tamil School is a non-profit organisation which offers Tamil language classes on Saturday mornings in term time at St Pirans School.

The Annual Day, which takes places towards the end of each academic year, was held on Sunday, June 29.

Kasthuri Subramanian from the organising team said: “We were deeply honoured by the Mayor’s presence at the Maidenhead Tamil School event.

“It was a meaningful gesture that reaffirmed the place of Tamil culture within our broader community and offered a sense of belonging to many Tamil families in the area.”

She added: “We take great pride in the steady growth and development of Maidenhead Tamil School over the past seven years.

“The continued success and sustainability of this non-profit initiative have been made possible through the unwavering commitment of my fellow board members, Mr [Maran] Chandrasekar and Mr [Nagaraj] Murugan, the invaluable support of our dedicated volunteer teachers, and the encouragement of the wider community.

“Our student base extends across Maidenhead, Burnham, Slough, and High Wycombe.

"We warmly welcome new learners and encourage anyone interested in studying the Tamil language to contact us at maidenheadtamilschool@outlook.com.”