Our Story

Tamil Scouts was founded by Mei Kumaran to address the unique challenges faced by Tamil American youth—balancing Tamil traditions with American influences.

From our founder — Tamil Scouts is an effort inspired by my personal experiences with struggling to balance my Tamil heritage with American experiences. Growing up in a predominantly white area, I often felt like in order to fit in with my American friends I had to hide parts of my Tamil identity. However, I found solace in having a community of Tamil American kids like me that were experiencing the same things as I was. As I got older, with sports, school, and extracurriculars, it became increasingly difficult to meet with my Tamil friends. I saw my Jewish friends participate in youth groups where they were able to connect with other Jewish youth who became their best friends through shared experiences while learning about their culture together. Thus came the idea for Tamil Scouts, a community for Tamil American youth to grow, connect, and celebrate their heritage together. 

Tamil Scouts creates a support network to preserve Tamil language, traditions, and values.

Our Mission

  • To create a safe space for Tamil youth to learn, grow, and connect with their heritage.

  • To empower young Tamil students through mentorship, education, and community engagement.

  • To bridge the gap between Tamil heritage and American experiences. 

  • Mei Kumaran

    FOUNDER

    Hi! I'm Mei Kumaran, a student at Campbell IB in Smyrna, Georgia, and the founder of Tamil Scouts. I was born and raised in Marietta, and growing up in a predominantly white community, I often found myself searching for ways to stay connected to my Tamil heritage. As a kid, I loved going to Tamil School events, keeping up with the latest Tamil movies and songs, and spending time with my Tamil friends. But as school and extracurriculars picked up, it became harder to maintain that connection — and I realized I wasn’t alone. That’s why I started Tamil Scouts: to create a welcoming space where Tamil kids can come together, a community outside of school and home to connect. 

  • Jeya Maran

    BOARD MEMBER

    Vanakkam, I am from Madurai, India. Working as a Financial Manager at the School of Interactive Computing in GaTech. Passionate about Tamil (my mother tongue) Literature. I am a Tamil orator and a Tamil YouTuber (my channel has more than 200 short videos on Tamil Literature). I have been teaching Tamil to students living in America for the past ten years. I have two grown boys (one is an Eagle scout). I live with my husband and  my mother in Atlanta, GA.

  • Srividhya Janakiraman

    BOARD MEMBER

    Born and raised in Chennai, I hold an undergraduate degree in Mathematics and a postgraduate degree in Computer Applications. I've been living in the U.S. for the past 25 years, but my love for Tamil and teaching began much earlier. My mother, a Tamil teacher, inspired me from a young age with her friendly and engaging teaching style, making learning enjoyable and accessible for her students. Following in her footsteps, I started teaching her students when I was in 10th grade, and for the past 11 years, I’ve been teaching Tamil through MTS. When Mei invited me to join her Tamil Scout initiative, I was excited to support the next generation of Tamil learners and help them connect with their heritage.