Tamil Heritage Month

Ottawa Tamil Association (OTA) will be hosting a formal dinner Tamil Heritage Month Gala of Canadian Tamils 2025 in Ottawa“.

The dinner will focus on sharing the Tamil Canadian community’s achievements, an appreciation for Tamil Genocide recognition & Tamil Heritage Month, a reunion, and Human Rights.

This year Tamil Heritage Month ceremony will take place at this Gala at St. Elias Centre, 750 Ridgewood Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

About 300 guests are expected to attend the dinner. Please contact OTA or one of the members to get more details. Tickets are limited! To purchase tickets over the phone or for general questions contact info@ottawatamilassociation.ca Don’t miss out – get your tickets now before they are gone!

For previous year’s Tamil Heritage Month events, please visit

The list of keynote speeches since 2017 can be found in the following YouTube playlist (

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLry3jehvRzVRagmqj1c0hRCrngzghZ9tz)

  1. 2024 – Mr. Rajeev Sreetharan on Justice for Tamil Genocide in Sri Lanka – A Legal Roadmap. Rajeev Sreetharan is an author, artist, engineer, and corporate attorney. Rajeev is also a co-founder of Third Eye, and provides pro bono counsel in the practice areas of genocide, international humanitarian law (IHL), and international human rights law (IHRL) to selected NGOs and grass-roots organizations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YoPUueveRI
  2. 2023 – Mr Lorenzo Fiorito on Tamil Genocide by Sri Lankan Government. Mr. Lorenzo Fiorito is a lawyer and advocate for Eelam Tamil human rights. He has written for community media on Tamil issues for a decade and has participated in lobbying efforts at the UN Human Rights Council. He holds an LLM in international dispute resolution. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwCbX4_sfas
  3. 2022 – Prof. Joseph Chandrakanthan, is a professor at the University of Toronto and co-author of Tamils’ Identity and Aspirations. On completing his doctoral studies in Canada, he returned to the University of Jaffna and was the founding Head of the Department of Christian and Islamic Studies. He chaired a session in the Tamil Liberation Struggle for Self-determination: 20 Years After the Ceasefire Agreement (2002- 2022). https://youtu.be/RwkVdbuHMgg
  4. 2021 – Dr.Kumaravadivel Guruparan, a former senior lecturer at the University of Jaffna and current Research Visitor at the University of Oxford. He is also a practicing attorney that has been a part of many lead counsels in cases regarding human rights crimes and humanitarian law issues in Sri Lanka. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru4frWyasg8
  5. 2020 – Prof Ramu Manivannan, the Head of the Department of Politics and Public Administration of the University of Madras. His voluminous work on the international crimes committed by the Sri Lanka State in and around Mullivaaikaal is titled ‘Sri Lanka: Hiding the Elephant’ Documenting War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity and Genocide. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLBB9txEkgw
  6. 2019 – Prof. Richard Mann, associate dean of social science at Carleton University and his essay was recently presented at the Second International Conference on Tamil Nationhood and Genocide in Sri Lanka, which took place at Carleton University in Ottawa, in May 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwM7pCq1HYs
  7. 2018 – Dr. Brian Seneviratne, the guest of honor is a recognized Human Rights Activist and author. He delivered his speech via a video message from Australia. https://youtu.be/UB3qDBGepI8
  8. 2017 – Dr Varatharaja Thurairaja – Dr. Vararatharajah who is a living witness to the genocide committed against the voiceless Tamils in Eelam during the final days of the genocidal war. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_uXuOJ2cYg, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBdO1ZJKPC8