Governor Stein Proclaims Tamil Heritage Month

TAMIL HERITAGE MONTH

2026

BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

A PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, the Tamil community of North Carolina has made significant contributions to our state's diverse culture and population, including preserving and promotion the rich heritage of the Tamil language; and

WHEREAS, the Tamil language is widely spoken in India, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and many communities throughout our nation and world; this language in central to Tamil identity and is recognized as one of the world’s longest-surviving written and spoken languages; and

WHEREAS, member of North Carolina’s Tamil community are dedicated to preserving Tamil culture, in part through language schools designed to educate young people and preserve Tamil language for generations to come; and

WHEREAS, Tamil tradition, language, and heritage have impacted many aspects of the economic, social, and culture history of our state and nation; and

WHEREAS, during January, members of the Tamil community celebrate Thai Pongal, a four-day harvest festival that coincides with the first day of the month Thai in the Tamil calendar; and

WHEREAS, the State of North Carolina joins in celebrating Thai Pongal and in recognizing the Tamil community for their ongoing contributions to our state;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSH STEIN, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim January 2026 as “TAMIL HERITAGE MONTH” in North Carolina and commend its observance to all residents.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this seventeenth day of December in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-sixth and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.