Downers Grove, IL: The Tamil community of the Chicagoland area came together for a fundraising dinner on the evening of Friday, June 3 to show their support for Mr. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who is campaigning to be the representative of Illinois\'s 8th Congressional District in the US House of Representatives and also to be the first Tamilian to be elected to the US Congress.

The dinner took place at Ashyana Banquets in Downers Grove, IL and was primarily organized by Mr. Murugesh Kasilingam, Mr. Veera Venugopal, and Mr. PK Aravazhi. The event was emceed by Vanderbilt University sophomore Dhivyaa Anandan and commenced with the rendering of the \'Invocation to Mother Tamil\' sung by Dhivyaa Anandan, Dheepa Anandan, and Manisha Muthu, followed by the \'American National Anthem\' sung by Sushmitha Suresh. Mr. Murugesh Kasilingam delivered the welcome address and was followed by Mr. Ram P. Thukkaram from the Tamil Nadu Foundation (TNF), who introduced Mr. Raja Krishnamoorthi.

Mr. Krishnamoorthi was honored by Chicago Tamil Sangam (CTS) President Mr. Socrates Ponnusamy and CTS past-presidents Mr. PK Aravazhi and Mr. Veera Venugopal. Mr. Raja Krishnamoorthi delivered a captivating speech requesting the support of the South Asian community and answered questions asked by a few members of the audience. Mr. Krishnamoorthi addressed the audience with sincerity and passion as he spoke of his objectives as the representative for the Illinois 8th congressional district. He emphasized his goals of fostering diversity, tolerance, and freedom in the community and spoke highly of the South Asian community that has worked hard to create a better life full of opportunity for themselves and future generations. He also stressed the importance of citizens being well informed and active in both local and national politics, citing it as one of the most effective ways to directly contribute to and ensure the welfare of their community.

The final vote of thanks was given by CTS Secretary Mr. Mani Gunasekaran, and the program was concluded with a cultural entertainment program organized by Mrs. Shree Gurusamy and Mr. Raghu Raghuraman. The highlights of the program included a classical dance performance, violin performances, and a light music featuring some of the local talents of Chicago.

Attendees of the dinner were able to meet Mr. Krishnamoorthi and understand on a more personal level how he would advocate for the issues that are most important to the South Asian community. The event overall showcased the solidarity of the Tamil community in supporting Mr. Raja Krishnamoorthi in his campaign to represent a highly diverse Illinois congressional district in the US Congress.

Fundraising dinner in support of Raja Krishnamoorthi for Congress