Melbourne’s First Ever Tamil Trivia Night – MATS X CTMY
Kelvikku Padhil is a Tamil Trivia Night event, rooted in celebrating the beautiful Tamil culture with like-minded members of our community. On Saturday, September 7, the Melbourne Association of Tamil Students and Casey Tamily Mandrum Youth (CTMY), came together to host Kelvikku Padhil 2024.
The evening was filled with engaging Tamil questions and activities, cultural performances celebrating music and the arts, along with delicious snacks, foods and drinks! The concept originated from Melbourne youth’s vision of embracing our pride in our Tamil language and culture. We were inspired by the generations that came before us and their efforts in various Tamil events in Melbourne, and we wanted to contribute in our own, unique way. A Trivia Night, adorned with musical performances and classical dances, felt like the perfect fusion of our Tamil culture, appealing to all ages within our community.
This concept aligned perfectly with the beliefs of MATS- a student based Tamil committee in Melbourne. As the upcoming generation, we prioritise the significance in upholding the traditions of our culture and Kelvikku Padhil was the perfect opportunity for us to share our vision! The first Trivia Night event was in 2023, a smaller-scaled evening with similar ideals but initially, we didn’t execute it to the same calibre as our more recent 2024 version. Leaving our first effort at Kelvikku Padhil 2023, we had extreme pride in our work but knew of the great potential an event like this could hold in the Melbourne Tamil community. We were determined to harness that inspiration going into Kelvikku Padhil 2024, and that’s exactly what we did!
Immediately, we planned and aimed to cater for a larger Tamil population, with more engaging rounds of trivia, activities, raffles and performances. And as a result, the night was filled with an abundance of incredible music, laughter, and education of our culture and language with our friends and family. It was truly an environment like no other, leaving us captivated and filled with pride. Guests departed the night, leaving with only positive feedback, and our young group of Tamil Australians could not feel more rewarded for what we were able and will continue to achieve.
The entire planning process commenced in May 2024, where we outlined our principles and goals for this event. We aimed to celebrate our cultural diversity, encourage inclusive community engagement, and create a platform for Tamil talent all while raising funds for local Tamil organisations. Working alongside another youth-based committee, Casey Tamil Mandrum Youth (CTMY) aided us significantly in reaching a wider audience and distributing the workload according to our strengths. It ultimately enabled us to enhance Kelvikku Padhil from the original capacity, to later a 400+ person event with larger scaled performances, vendors and facilities!
All proceeds from Kelvikku Padhil were donated to a Tamil Mental Health Based charity, Thadam. Thadam is a not-for-profit organisation aiming to break down historical stigma in the Tamil community concerning mental health and engage and empower our Tamil community (no matter their age, social status, belief systems or current perceptions) about mental health and wellbeing. We were successfully able to donate over $2000 to this organisation from our generous well-wishers and the wider Tamil community here in Melbourne.
Kelvikku Padhil was, and will always be, an unforgettable event for all of us. For me, however, it is only the start of our generation to build the path into celebrating the Tamil culture in Melbourne. In a world increasingly defined by change, maintaining Tamil culture creates a sanctuary for values that withstand the test of time: respect for elders, devotion to family, reverence for knowledge, and a deep sense of spirituality. We will continue to craft this tapestry that honours and ensures that the soul of Tamil identity remains strong in Melbourne across generations to come.
