Sivaram memorial fund to support Ryerson Journalism students

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 June 2007, 04:28 GMT]
"Sivaram's quest for Justice through his ever powerful pen for the oppressed and against the powerful perpetrators had made him a hero for not just his own but for the entire humanity. Tamil community is fortunate that such individual was born amidst, who disregarded his own safety while upholding the highest morals of mankind,"said Professor Joseph Chandrakanthan, President of the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC), speaking at Sivaram's 2nd death anniversary event held at the University of Toronto on June 3rd, 2007.

CTC announced the establishment of Sivaram Memorial Scholarship at Ryerson University in Toronto. CTC targets to collect $25,000 towards the fund, and the endowed award will assist a student in the Bachelor of Journalism program to excel in the promotion and preservation of human and civil rights, organizers announced.

The Guest speaker of the evening, Professor Mark Whitaker of the University of South Carolina read passages from his recently released biography of Sivaram, and commended the diaspora for establishing a Scholarship fund in the journalist's name.

"Those responsible for the death of Sivaram two years ago wanted to mute one of the prolific voices of our lifetime. While they may have temporarily silenced him, his legacy will go on forever," said Ms. Thiruchelvam, representative of Tamil Students' Association of University of Toronto. "Taraki was a pioneer in many respects. He was not only a geopolitical analyst and writer upholding universal values but strategically moved over to the emerging internet era to illuminate the suffering of a people, to the entire world," she said.

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