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Newsmakers of the Week JANUARY 24, 2025 | The Indian Eye 26

NEWSMAKERS OF THE WEEK

Selected stories about Indian diaspora from our website www.theindianeye.com

RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI RUCHIRA BHUYAN
Congressman introduces bill for Parrish Art Museum names

Tamil Language heritage New Trustee

S Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi on Tuesday introduced a bipar- he Parrish Art Museum is pleased to announce the appointment of
tisan resolution to designate January as Tamil Language and Heritage Ruchira Bhuyan, a distinguished leader to its Board of Trustees. Her
UMonth. Twealth of expertise in strategy, communications, and fundraising will
Sharing a post on X, he wrote, “For the 360,000 Tamil Americans living in further strengthen the Museum’s mission to celebrate art, artists, and the East
the US today, January is a uniquely special time thanks to the festival of Pon- End’s artistic legacy and expand access to the arts for the surrounding com-
gal. I was proud to introduce my bipartisan resolution to designate January in munity and beyond. Ruchira is one of the seven appointees to The Parrish Art
honour of the Tamil language and heritage.” Museum’s Board of Trustees.
The resolution highlights the significance of Tamil language, one of the “Their unique perspectives, expertise, and talents will catapult the Parrish
world’s oldest languages, spoken by over 80 million people globally. well into the future. I am very excited to be working closely with these new
A press release on his official website stated, “Today, Congressman Raja and amazing Trustees,” said Mónica Ramírez-Montagut, Executive Director
Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) introduced a bipartisan resolution designating Jan- of the Parrish Art Museum.
uary as Tamil Language and Heritage Month. More than 80 million people Ruchira has extensive experience in strategy, communications, and fund-
worldwide, including 360,000 Americans, speak Tamil, one of the world’s old- raising, developed through a career spanning the public and private sectors, as
est languages. The resolution coincides with Pongal, a major Tamil festival well as significant involvement with nonprofit institutions. Ruchira previously
that begins in mid-January.” worked for the Canadian Consulate General in New York, where she special-
“As a Tamil American, I am proud to introduce this bipartisan resolution ized in communications and public affairs, before transitioning to retail media
honouring the Tamil language, heritage, and culture here at home in the Unit- and communication roles at Amazon and Walmart.
ed States and around the world,” the release added. Co-Chairs Frederic Seegal and Alexandra Stanton added, “With the ap-
Tamil Americans United PAC said, “Tamil Americans United PAC pointment of these seven exceptional new Trustees, the Parrish is well-posi-
wholeheartedly welcomes and deeply appreciates Representative Raja Krish- tioned to enter 2025 with excitement and momentum.”
namoorthi and the members of Congress for introducing this significant legis- Currently, Ruchira serves as a Board Member for The International Pre-
lation, which highlights the rich history of the ancient Tamil people and their schools (IPS) in New York and leads Annual and Campaign Giving initiatives
invaluable contributions to the modern world. We urge Tamil Americans to at The Collegiate School. She also serves on the Family Benefit and Leader-
actively and effectively engage in efforts to ensure the successful passage of ship Committees at the American Museum of Natural History and the Met-
this legislation in the United States Congress.” ropolitan Museum of Art.
Federation of Tamil Sangams of North American (FeTNA) said that as Additionally, Ruchira is a Committee Member for Children’s Hope In-
proud Tamil Americans, they strongly support Krishnamoorthi’s resolution dia, a nonprofit organization focused on building schools in rural areas of
to create a Tamil Language and Heritage Month. “Tamils have much to con- India for underprivileged children. Together with her husband, she has in-
tribute to this dear country we call our home, and showcasing our history, troduced AI-driven tutors to address teacher shortages and personalize the
language, and culture will allow us to meaningfully share what we have with curriculum for a girls’ school with over 650 students.
our fellow citizens,” FeTNA said. Continued on next page... >>

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