Photo provided by DesignsByAjay.com
CTYA’s Blog has started a new Feature on Fridays, 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 to 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, Vinsia Maharajah!
Vinsia Maharajah is a young talented individual with a passion for acting and entertaining. She is known for her YouTube channel and for being the founder and main admin of the Tamil Memes Facebook page. She uses social media to be able to entertain and inspire others, while bringing the Tamil community together. Let’s hear from Vinsia!
Thanks for joining us today Vinsia. To get started, just say the first thing that comes to mind in one word.
1. Where would you go if you were invisible? Anywhere where there’s a “No Trespassing sign”
2. Favourite Actor? Surya.
3. Strangest thing you’ve eaten? Buffalo meat (had a sample at a Fair)
4. Dream Job? Entertainer (actress/host/comedian)
5. Favourite Cartoon Show? Pokemon!
CTYA Blog Team: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Vinsia: I’m a first year design student at York University. I’m passionate about two things, “the arts” (all forms) and Tamil culture! I’ve always been an artsy, crazy girl, and high school (well…the internet) brought out other forms of art from within me. I became really passionate about acting, and this was brought out to stage by CanTYD’s (Canadian Tamil Youth Development) Medai Konal team. Thanks to the internet, I’m able to put my craziness and passion for acting out there, through the use of a YouTube channel!
CTYA Blog Team: What made you start Tamil Memes?
Vinsia: Last year, I was at home, and came across the Bengali Memes page on Facebook, and then Asian Memes. I searched Facebook for a Tamil Memes page, and couldn’t find one! So I sat there for the whole day, starting up a page, and spewing out memes! The response was incredible! I remember how I went from 15 likes, being my closest friends, to a few thousand likes in just a few days!
CTYA Blog Team: What is your favorite Tamil Memes posted to date?
Vinsia: My favourite one, and the one with the most likes, the “Popular Tamil Names” picture. “Vithu” and “Abi” are some of the most popular ones!
CTYA Blog Team: Tamil Memes has grown and has a lot of followers now, and has therefore given you the ability to reach out to a lot of Tamils. How has this changed you?
Vinsia: I never realized my little page would gain so much attention and followers! I’d like to thank everyone who supports Tamil Memes, and especially those who provide feedback and ideas for the page. I don’t put up many memes nowadays, because of school and other commitments, but I do use the page to inform others of events happening in Canada, and other countries. I also use the page to help other pages gain likes, because since we’re all a community, we should support one another!
CTYA Blog Team: Who is your role model?
Vinsia: My Role model is definitely my Periyamma (Mom’s older sister.) She is self-employed, and independent. She has raised the finest kids alone, (who I envy so much, as they are so talented!) Life threw many obstacles, but she overcame them with great internal strength. I’m proud of her accomplishments, and wish to be as strong as my Periyamma.
CTYA Blog Team: What’s one of your biggest dreams you hope to achieve this year?
Vinsia: One of my biggest dreams is to create a meaningful short film to inspire younger women in our community. I’ll be working on it this year hopefully. I also owe my YouTube viewers MANY videos! I hope to complete and edit them properly, providing some entertainment and craziness for everyone! If these don’t happen this year, I’ll look forward to Thaalam! It was an enjoyable experience co-hosting last year, and this year I’ll be a participant! I can’t wait for Thaalam this year!
CTYA Blog Team: Finish the sentence. “To me, Tamil youth are..”
Vinsia: …in need of an escape from the curry-stained margarine tubs, lying in their fridges. (Just kidding.) Many youth are scared to achieve their true dreams because of their parents’ sky-high expectations. Some choose alternative career paths, steering them away from their dreams and passions. Learn to communicate with your parents. Build a good relationship with them, and soon they’ll be right behind you supporting everything you do! I’ve recently done this, and it feels amazing to have my parents support my dreams!
CTYA Blog Team: Anything else you’d like to add?
Vinsia: Regardless of your age, dare to be different! Be proud to be unique, and don’t be scared to be a little crazy! The child within you has no expiry date, so don’t assume it died a long time ago, have fun! Another thing I’d like to add is, embrace your roots. Our roots are what give us a sense of unity. We may branch out into our own paths, choosing growing distinct and different from the rest, but when we look back, our roots was where we all began.
Thank Vinsia for coming and sharing your thoughts today. Check out Tamil Memes on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TamiMemes
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 Friday where we’ll be bringing you another Talented Tamil youth story!
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Check Out Past Thulirkal!
Rising Star Kokilan Maheswaran!
Kokilan Maheswaran strives to inspire a generation of others who share the same goals and desires that he has for the culture of cinema, acting, and artistry. He wants to be an inspiration to such youth so that in the future, the Tamil community could welcome the acting field more openly.
