The Federation of Tamil Sangams in North America (FeTNA) is a non-profit organization of

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

organizations in the United States and Canada. It is a registered,

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization and founded in 1987 by five Tamil organizations: Tamil Association of Delaware Valley, Tamil Sangam of Washington & Baltimore, New York Tamil Sangam, Ilankai Tamil Sangam and Harrisburg Tamil Sangam. As of 2025, FeTNA represents 71

organizations based in

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Activities

Convention

FeTNA organizes an annual North American Tamil convention. Established in 1988, the conventions are held during the

4th of July Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'', a 1972 Soviet drama ...

weekend, in a different city every year. Conventions can attract over two thousand attendees from all over North America. Invited guests typically include Tamil

writers A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short stori ...

actors An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

musicians A musician is someone who Composer, composes, Conducting, conducts, or Performing arts#Performers, performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general Terminology, term used to designate a person who fol ...

, and

politicians A politician is a person who participates in policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles or duties tha ...

from a variety of political parties in India and Sri Lanka. The annual conventions were held jointly with the Indian-American Tamil Nadu Foundation until 2002; the two groups have held separate conventions starting in 2003. The 32nd convention was held along with

World Tamil Conference The World Tamil Conference () is a series of occasional conferences to discuss the social growth of the Tamil language. Each conference is attended by thousands of Tamil enthusiasts around the world. Conferences are hosted in various cities in ...

from July 3–7, 2019 in Chicago.

Support for Tamil studies

FeTNA sponsors visits from two Tamil scholars to the United States each year; as of 2006, it had sponsored a total of 24 scholars. It has also been involved in the sponsorship of a Tamil Chair at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

and the Tamil Studies program at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

Fundraising for disaster relief work

FeTNA plays an active role in fundraising for disaster relief work in response to crises like the

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake On 26 December 2004, at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+07:00, UTC+7), a major earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2–9.3 struck with an epicenter, epicentre off the west coast of Aceh in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The Submarine earthquake, undersea ...

and the 2004 Kumbakonam school fire. In June 2005, the group reported that it had raised $37,965.79 for tsunami relief (disbursed through the

Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation The Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) was established in 1985 in Tamil Nadu in southeastern India by Sri Lankan Tamil refugees fleeing the violence in North and East Sri Lanka. Its initial operation was to provide relief to the refugees i ...

, the

Tata Institute of Social Sciences Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) is a multi-campus public university in Mumbai, India. It is Asia's oldest institute for professional social work education and was founded in 1936 in the then Bombay Presidency of British India as the S ...

, and Exnora International) and $16,020.43 for victims of the Kumbakonam school fire (disbursed through the Kumbakonam

Lions Club Lions Clubs International, is an international service organization, currently headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. , it had over 46,000 local clubs and more than 1.4 million members (including the youth wing Leo clubs, Leo) in more than 200 ge ...

Organization

The Federation was founded in 1987 by five American Tamil sangams: Ilankai Tamil Sangam, Tamil Association of Delaware Valley, Tamil Sangam of Washington & Baltimore, New York Tamil Sangam and Harrisburg Tamil Sangam. As of May 2025, FeTNA's website links to the websites of the following member organizations: : Alabama Tamil Sangam, Arizona Tamil Sangam, Austin Tamizh Sangam, Bharathi Kalai Mandram, Boston Thamil Association, Canada Tamil Sangam, Canadian Tamil Congress, Carolina Tamil Sangam, Central Illinois Tamil Sangam, Chicago Tamil Sangam, Columbus Tamil Sangam, Connecticut Tamil Sangam, Dallas Tamil Manram, Greater Atlanta Tamil Sangam, Greater Charlotte Tamil Sangam, Greater Cincinnati Tamil Sangam, Greater Houston Tamil Sangam, Greater Milwaukee Tamil Sangam, Greater Portland Tamil Mandram, Harrisburg Area Tamil Sangam, Houston Tamil Studies Chair, Illankai Tamil Sangam of Chicago, Illanti Tamil Sangam USA Inc, Iowa Tamil Association, Jacksonville Tamil Mandram, Kansas City Tamil Sangam, Kentucky Tamil Sangam, Las Vegas Tamil Sangam, Metroplex Tamil Sangam, Michigan Tamil Sangam, Midsouth Tamil Sangam, Minnesota Tamil Sangam, National Council of Canadian Tamils, New England Tamil Sangam, New Jersey Tamil Peravai, New Jersey Tamil Sangam, New York Albany Tamil Sangam, New York Tamil Sangam, Oklahoma Tamil Sangam, Ottawa Tamil Association, Panai Nilam Tamil Sangam, Pittsburgh Tamil Sangam, Rhode Island Tamil Sangam, Richmond Tamil Sangam, Sacramento Tamil Mandrum, San Antonio Tamil Sangam, San Francisco Bay Area Tamil Manram, Seattle Tamil Sangam, Tamil Association of Colorado, Tamil Association of Greater Delaware Valley, Tamil Eelam Society of Canada, Tamil Makkal Mandram, Tamil Sangam of Greater Washington, Tamil Sangam of Missouri, Tamil Sangam of Virginia Unc, Tamil Sneham, Tamils of Northern California, Tennesse Tamizh Sangam, The Tamils of Greater Rochester, Then Poovaga Tamil Sangam, TwinCities Tamil Association, Wisconsin Tamil Sangam, American Tamil Academy (Associate), Arkansas Tamil Sangam, Eastern Iowa Tamil Sangam, McLean County Tamil Sangam, Sastha Tamil Foundation (Associate), South Bay Tamil Sangam, Tampa Tamil Sangam, Triad Tamil Sangam, and the Utah Tamil Sangam According to the FeTNA website, the cost of membership varies based on the size of constituent sangams. Each sangam appoints delegates to the governing board, with votes proportional to membership. Beside the governing board, the group has a President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Communications Director.

Ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka

Public stances

The Federation publicly sides with the cause of ethnic

Sri Lankan Tamils Sri Lankan Tamils ( or ), also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are Tamils native to the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Today, they constitute a majority in the Northern Province, Sri Lanka, Northern Province, form the pluralit ...

in the Sri Lankan Civil War. It has issued a number of statements calling for an end to Sri Lankan government violence against Tamils, the ability of Tamils to engage in meaningful negotiations with the government, and a peaceful political resolution to the conflict. * 1995: Passed a resolution at annual convention, asking the US government not to sell arms to Sri Lanka, and calling for the US to pressure the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE to find a political resolution to the civil war * 2005: Held the Sri Lankan government accountable for the death of Sri Lankan Tamil journalist Dharmaratnam Sivaram. * 2005: Strongly condemned the murder of

Joseph Pararajasingham Joseph Pararajasingham (; 26 November 1934 – 25 December 2005) was a Sri Lankan Tamil civil servant, journalist, businessman and politician. He was Member of Parliament for Batticaloa District from 1990 to 2004 and a National List Member ...

, a Sri Lankan Tamil Member of Parliament * 2006: Called for an end to extrajudicial killings by Sri Lankan government forces and paramilitaries. * 2006: Supported a call for Sri Lanka-LTTE peace meetings, urged world leaders to pressure all parties to stop attacks on civilians, called for Sri Lankan military to withdraw from civilian homes and buildings, and called for sanctions to be initiated unless the Sri Lankan government disarmed paramilitaries * 2006: Participated at a protest at the United Nations, condemning Sri Lankan state violence against Tamil civilians, asking for an investigation by the International Criminal Court, and calling for good faith negotiations between the Sri Lankan government and Sri Lankan Tamils

US civil rights lawsuits

The Federation's stated interest in doing cultural work in the "

Tamil Eelam Tamil Eelam (, ''tamiḻ īḻam''; generally rendered outside Tamil-speaking areas as தமிழ் ஈழம்) is a proposed independence, independent sovereign state, state that many Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamils in Sri Lanka and the Sri Lan ...

" region of Sri Lanka involved it with high-profile legal challenges against the

Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA), , was introduced to the United States Congress in April 1995 as a Senate Bill (). The bill was passed with broad bipartisan support by Congress in response to the bombings of th ...

(AEDPA) and the USA PATRIOT Act. In 1997, Secretary of State

Madeleine Albright Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Körbelová, later Korbelová; May 15, 1937 – March 23, 2022) was an American diplomat and political science, political scientist who served as the 64th United States Secretary of State, United S ...

designated the LTTE as a "foreign terrorist organization" under the terms of the AEDPA, which, according to ''TamilNet'', "criminalizes the provision of material support or resources to the lawful and non-violent activities of any foreign organization designated as 'terrorist' by the Secretary of State." In 1998, FeTNA and seven other organizations joined the

Center for Constitutional Rights The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR; formerly Law Center for Constitutional Rights) is an American progressive non-profit legal advocacy organization based in New York City. It was founded in 1966 by lawyers William Kunstler, Arthur Kin ...

in challenging the constitutionality of the AEDPA, which would make illegal FeTNA's attempts to do service around Tamil language, arts, and cultural institutions in the LTTE-occupied "

" region of Sri Lanka. The

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts for the following federal judicial districts: * Distric ...

ruled against the plaintiffs. The Center for Constitutional Rights and the Humanitarian Law Project took up a similar case challenging the AEDPA and the USA PATRIOT Act in 2003. In March 2004, Judge Audrey Collins enjoined the US Government from enforcing applicable sections of the USA Patriot Act against the plaintiffs; however, FeTNA was not covered by the ruling, because they did not provide the court with adequate details to prove that their proposed actions—doing cultural work in LTTE-occupied parts of Sri Lanka—would actually be in violation of the law.

Criticism

Some critics of the LTTE, consider FeTNA overly sympathetic toward or supportive of the group. FeTNA's public statements are primarily critical of human rights abuses attributed to the government of Sri Lanka. A July 2003 ''

Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...

'' article based only on a prior article in Sri Lankan paper ''The Island'' called FeTNA "one of LTTE's front organisations," and referred to the annual FeTNA convention as an LTTE fundraiser. (''The Island'' in a 1999

Asian Human Rights Commission The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is an independent, Non-governmental organization, non-governmental body that promotes human rights in Asia and mobilizes Asian and international public opinion to obtain relief and redress for the victims ...

statement was called "a Sri Lankan newspaper well known for its racist propaganda.") The accusation appears not to have been repeated in subsequent media coverage, and mainstream Indian political figures (e.g. Indian President

Abdul Kalam Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam ( ; 15 October 193127 July 2015) was an Indian Aerospace engineering, aerospace scientist and statesman who served as the president of India from 2002 to 2007. Born and raised in a Muslim family in Ramesw ...

) have continued to participate in FeTNA events.

Other political stances

California Hindu textbook controversy

FeTNA was actively involved in the

Californian Hindu textbook controversy A controversy in the US state of California concerning the portrayal of Hinduism in history textbooks began in 2005. The Texas-based Vedic Foundation (VF) and the Hindu Education Foundation (HEF), complained to California's Curriculum Commission ...

, in which it joined a number of other groups in successfully petitioning

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

's Curriculum Commission to reject allegedly revisionist edits to California's textbook curriculum on Hinduism and India, as suggested by the

Hindu Education Foundation Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also been u ...

and the

Vedic Foundation A controversy in the US state of California concerning the portrayal of Hinduism in history textbooks began in 2005. The Texas-based Vedic Foundation (VF) and the Hindu Education Foundation (HEF), complained to California's Curriculum Commission ...

. FeTNA raised several specific objections about the proposed textbook revisions, which they felt sidelined the role of South Indian and Dravidian culture (history, language, and religious traditions), and allegedly "whitewashed" caste and gender discrimination in India. Upon rejection by the Board of major proposed edits, a Thillai Kumaran, then President of FeTNA, dismissed the pending lawsuit by the Hindu organizations. "Threats of legal action are a clear sign of desperation on the part of the Sangh organizations; these organizations are perhaps not aware that the Board deals with dozens of lawsuits at any given time and cannot be cowed by such threats." Thillai Kumaran, a concerned parent, mentioned his lower-caste origins during his testimony, mentioned that his son, who attends middle school in California, did not feel insulted by the textbook's contents on Hinduism.

Support for caste-based reservations in India

In a statement FeTNA has supported caste-based reservation in India to 49.5% of the available seats in institutes of higher education and jobs. It has been critical of the demonstration again the proposed increased in reserved seats. The

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

state of India already reserves 69% seats for specific castes.

References

External links

Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America
{{DEFAULTSORT:Federation Of Tamil Sangams Of North America Indian diaspora in the United States Tamil organisations South Asian American organizations Tamil-American culture Overseas Indian organisations Sri Lankan-American culture Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora Indian-American culture Organizations established in 1987 1987 establishments in the United States