Sathish Babu Kuttae Ravindran
President
About the Mandram
Celebrating Tamil language, culture and community in Tallahassee
We are neighbours, colleagues, students and grandparents — brought together by our love of Tamil, and proud to share it with the next generation.
Our story
It started with a handful of families
Tallahassee Tamil Mandram began the way most such associations do — a few families deciding that Pongal should not pass unmarked, and borrowing a community hall for the afternoon.
What began as a handful of households cooking for one another has grown into an association that now spans the whole Big Bend region. Students at FSU and FAMU, researchers at the national lab, physicians, engineers, small business owners and retirees — all of them find their way to the Mandram sooner or later, usually through a friend who says "come, there are others like us here."
We are a non-profit, non-political organisation run entirely by volunteers, under a constitution approved by our General Body. Members elect the Executive Committee every two years, and every festival is still cooked, decorated, rehearsed and cleaned up by members themselves.
What guides us
Our objectives
As set out in Article III of the Mandram’s constitution (PDF, opens in a new tab).
- To be a non-profit and non-political organisation.
- To provide a common meeting ground for our members.
- To take part in cultural exchange with other ethno-cultural groups in the area, and to act as a liaison between those groups, organisations and government departments.
- To advance Tamil language, literature and arts — especially by teaching Tamil, forming a Tamil library and promoting Tamil literary discussions.
- To promote cultural activities such as music, dance and drama.
- To invite and honour distinguished persons in Tamil culture.
In practice
What the Mandram actually does
- Celebrates the Tamil calendar — Pongal in January, Chithirai Thiruvizha in the spring, Deepavali in the autumn, and smaller gatherings between.
- Runs TTM Tamil Palli — classes in spoken and written Tamil, open to the children of members and non-members alike at the same fees, following the Leon County school calendar.
- Brings families together — a common meeting ground for Tamil families across Tallahassee, whether they arrived decades ago or last semester.
- Builds bridges with other communities — cultural exchange with other ethno-cultural groups in the area, and a point of contact between them, local organisations and government.
- Creates a stage for our own — music, dance and drama at our festivals, with members of every age performing for one another.
- Organises sports for every age — a spring chess tournament, and a summer sports season from August to October, leading up to Deepavali, with events and tournaments for men, women, youth and children.
யாதும் ஊரே யாவரும் கேளிர்
Kaniyan Pungundranar, Purananuru 192
— Every town is my home town; everyone is my kin.
The people who run it
Executive committee
The Executive Committee runs the Mandram day to day. Its five office bearers are elected by the members every two years and serve from 1 May to 30 April. Together with two Directors — the immediate past President and a Director appointed by the Executive Committee — they form the Governing Body, which keeps the Mandram true to its mission and constitution.
Current term 2025 – 2027
Sathish Sundaramoorthy
Vice President
Jenkins J
Secretary
Karthik Rajendran
Joint Secretary
Kishore Somalinga
Treasurer
Board of Directors 2025 – 2027
Karthiraj Periasamy
Director
Kumaran Poongavanam
Director · Immediate Past President
Those who served before
Term 2023 – 2025
Kumaran Poongavanam
President
Sathish Kumar Ramasamy
Vice President
Kishore Somalinga
Secretary
Preethi Karthik
Joint Secretary
Sathish Babu Kuttae Ravindran
Treasurer
Term 2021 – 2023
Karthiraj Periasamy
President
Shoban Karupasamy
Vice President
Suresh Esakkimuthu
Secretary
Santhi Nirmal
Joint Secretary
Siva Thamilmani
Treasurer
How the Mandram is governed
Elections
Held once every two years, in or around March. The Executive Committee appoints a three-member Elections sub-committee from the Mandram’s members — none of them serving on the Executive Committee — which receives nominations for every Executive Committee position and conducts the election.
Come to the next one
The best way to understand the Mandram is to turn up. Bring a dish if you like, or just bring yourself — there is always more than enough food.