Speech by Jeevan Thiagarajah, former Governor, Northern Province, Sri Lanka

World Tamil Diaspora Day was celebrated on January 11 and 12, 2026, in Chennai, India, hosted by the Chief Minister M. K. Stalin and the Tamil Nadu State Government.

I am humbled by the honor and privilege to stand before you on this special occasion of World Tamil Diaspora Day, hosted so graciously by the Honorable Chief Minister and the Tamil Nadu State Government. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the organizers and to all my distinguished fellow Tamils gathered here from across the globe.

Tamils around the world share a unique and unbreakable bond. Our roots trace back to the present-day state of Tamil Nadu, and greater India, a land rich in history, culture, and tradition. This ancient land has been the cradle of our language, our arts, and our identity for millennia.

We Tamils draw deeply from the spiritual heritage of India, especially through our devotion to Hindu gods, goddesses, and the magnificent temples of India’s landscape. Our faith is not confined by geography; it travels with us wherever we go. Whether in Sri Lanka, South Africa, Malaysia, or anywhere else in the world.

The universal omnipresence of our gods and goddesses remains a source of strength, comfort and energy for oneness as living beings.

Historically, Tamils have spread far and wide. Our first major migrations took us across the Southern Hemisphere, from South Africa to Singapore, Malaysia, and the islands south of  India. These journeys were often driven by the search for opportunity, adventure, and sometimes by the harsh realities of migration.

I personally trace my lineage to stories of migration from Jaffna to pre- and post-World War Malaya and back to present day Sri Lanka.

In later years, many Tamils migrated, and at times were compelled to leave their homelands, to new homes in Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand. Each wave of migration brought new challenges, but also new opportunities. It allowed generations of Tamils to learn, prosper, and emerge as leaders in their adopted countries, contributing richly to the social, economic, and cultural fabric of those nations. They represent the Reserve Bank of Global Tamils.

As a Sri Lankan Tamil, I am especially proud and privileged to join my distinguished fellow countrymen and women this weekend. Our shared experiences, struggles, and triumphs bind us together as one global Tamil community.

As I conclude, I urge all of us to seize the unique  opportunity provided by the Tamil Nadu State Government this weekend. Let us reflect on how, across national boundaries, continents, and regions, we can come together to excel beyond what we have achieved so far. The State of Tamil Nadu itself stands as a beacon of extraordinary development within India’s larger vision to become the fourth largest economy in the world.

This spirit of innovation, growth, and resilience is something we can all emulate, as a proud global community.

In doing so, regions of Sri Lanka and other parts of the world awaiting a spurt in development can become active partners in a greater Tamil renaissance, one that honors our past, enriches our present, and inspires our future as a race globally.