CTYA’s Blog has started a new Feature, Thulirkal. Thulirkal meaning bud reflects the young Tamil youth we will be featuring. These youth are the buds of our community, and are growing into strong, achieving young men and women! Each week we will feature a Tamil youth of the week. For more information or to suggest a youth to feature, please feel free to email us at blogs@ctya.org!
This week, we’ve brought you Lavaniya Rajah!
CTYA Editor: Thank you Lavaniya for sitting down with us today. So, let’s get warmed up. Ok, now don’t think, just say what first comes to mind. 1, 2, 3…
Favourite Food? – Poutine
Tamil Songs or English Songs? Anything by J Cole or anything with a good beat and meaningful lyrics and always has been A.R. Rahman’s music for me, but I do enjoy music by Iman and G.V. Prakash as well.
Favourite Tamil Comedian? Vivek and Santhanam
Dream Destination? International Human Rights Lawyer hopefully working with the United Nations.
Early Riser or Night Hawk? Early Riser (: .
Editor: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Lavaniya: My name is Lavaniya Rajah. I have just completed Grade 10 at Lester B. Pearson Collegiate. I am a member of TYO Canada and I am a member of the New Democratic Party. I like to see myself as someone who is well organized and takes every single detail in consideration no matter what it maybe. I am perfectionist and I hope to inspire youth and others throughout my life time for the betterment of our society.
Editor: You’ve been a role model for youth in terms of getting involved in politics, why do you think it is so important for youth today to get involved in politics? How did you become involved?
Lavaniya: Being the future of our generation, it is extremely important for us youth to pay attention to Canadian and World politics. Getting involved in politics will not just aid us financially but it will also give us the power needed to make the right decisions for our community and the communities around us. I first got involved in politics when I started to volunteer for Neethan Anna’s election campaign in 2011. It started off merely as a simple way to earn my 40 hours needed to graduate high school, but then I wanted to learn why Neethan Anna wanted to run in this campaign and why it was so important to our community. That was essentially what inspired me to get involved in politics as a youth.
Editor: In your volunteering, what was the most important skill you learned? Why would you recommend other Tamil youth to get out volunteer and get involved in politics?
Lavaniya: I am an extremely shy person, but after getting involved as youth activist it has given me the courage to speak what I believe. I wouldn’t really considered it as a skill, but being a youth activist one thing I have learned is that never stop believing in what you think is right. Fight for it. Because if you keep trying and if you don’t give up, even though it maybe not tomorrow one day you will succeed. You should never be discouraged by someone’s words. They only speak such things because they are unable to do what you can. Becoming a youth activist is a great way to help enhance your social and leadership skills. It also makes you see things in more than one perspective and how different people would see it Along with that, it’s a great way to learn how parties and politics work in our country. It gives you many great opportunities to meet and work alongside many great politicians
Editor: If you could go back in time, and tell your younger self something, what would you say?
Lavaniya: Simple, Always do your best no matter what, because what you plant now will harvest later.
Editor: Anything else you would like to add?
Lavaniya: I’d like to thank the CTYA Blog Team for this opportunity. It was great fun !
Editor: Finish the sentence. “To me, Tamil youth are..”
Lavaniya: Diamonds in the rough. Hard working, brilliant people. The Tamil community depends on them and I’m sure each and every one of us will contribute to the community in various way.
For more information or to suggest a youth to feature, please feel free to email us at blogs@ctya.org! Catch up with us next Monday where we’ll be bringing you another Talented Tamil youth story!
Tags: thulirkal
