Kural Koodal Semmozhi Foundation U.S.A. hosted a one-of-a-kind Father’s Day celebration on June 17th, 2023. The organization, based in Houston, TX, aims to spread the ancient and timeless Tamil literature, the Thirukkural, worldwide.The Thirukkural dates back over 2000 years ago, and contains 1,330 poems that cover lessons in philosophy, morality, and just about all aspects of life. The organization has made strides in their mission to spread Thirukkural worldwide, hosting a multitude of events in Houston, India, and even Cambodia since they were established in 2022. This Father’s Day, they were honored to celebrate the many accomplishments and award their Father of the year award to Houston’s own stalwart, philanthropist, and legend, Dr. Appan, naming him “KURALAATRU THANTHAI” (embodiment of Valluvar’s wish). Dr. Appan had a red carpet welcoming to the event, and the support of many influential members of the Houston community who have worked closely with him, such as Dr. Venugopal Menon, MTS Chairman Vinod Kaila, Dr. Vaduganathan, and many other well-wishers. Dr. Appan was also presented with a poem by Seithur Srinivasan, comparing his life and accomplishments to various Thirukkurals that aligned and coerced with Dr. Appan’s life. Although still a small organization, Kural Koodal had a great turnout of around 100 people, of which many participated in a discussion and debate segment facilitated by the very well-spoken Parthiban Ravikumar. The debate, which lasted many hours covered various interesting topics surrounding fatherhood, family, and of course, Thirrukkurals, specifically Chapter 7, which covered the relationship between parents and children. Kural Koodal was honored to have the presence of Thiru. Karu Malar Selvan, a Houston local who has not only memorized all 1,330 Kurals but is also actively dedicated to teaching techniques for learning and memorizing Thirukkurals for all ages. Kural Koodal was also grateful to have the presence and motivational speech from Mr. S. Vinaitheerthan B.Sc from Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu. His encouraging words to the organization and to the Houston community was a great reminder to continue with the ongoing efforts of Kural Koodal, as well as many other organizations aiming to spread culture and literature. This incredible piece of literature has been translated to over 42 world languages, and we encourage everyone to give it a read! Kural Koodal would like to thank everyone who has supported its cause from the beginning and hopes to host many more events globally throughout the years.To follow along with their endeavors, visit: kuralkoodalsemmozhifoundation.org- Our NRI reporter Sheela Ramanan