The Tamil Creator

Hosted by Ara Ehamparam

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Episodes

137

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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EN-US

About the show

"The Tamil Creator" is a podcast started by me (Ara Ehamparam) to celebrate, spotlight and learn about the brilliance among creators in the global Tamil community, with the end product being a conversation that is equal parts educational, inspirational and entertaining.

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June 1, 2026Episode 13742 min

EP #137: Supendra Chandrakumar - Toronto Content Creator, #LoveMyCityProject Founder & Marketing Agency Owner

Supendra Chandrakumar (@supendra) is the founder behind the viral #LoveMyCityProject and one of Toronto's most recognizable digital storytellers.He joins Ara on this episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss how he spent nearly a decade building content creation from a passion into a career, the mindset shifts required to bet on yourself, collaborating with Google Pixel, navigating AI as a creator, balancing authenticity with growth, representing the Tamil community, and why he has made it his mission to share Toronto's story with the world.If you've ever wondered what it really takes to build a personal brand, create content consistently, or turn a side passion into something bigger, this episode is for you.Follow Supendra:- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/supendra/) Timestamps00:19 — Ara introduces this week’s guest, Supendra Chandrakumar01:00 — Supendra speaks on being born in Toronto and his life’s progression to this point02:37 — An inflexion point; turning content creation from his passion to a career08:38 — Staying motivated to keep going; internal validation versus external validation12:05 — How he balances creating content that is authentic but still “algorithm-friendly”13:28 — Supendra’s view on AI as a content creator; threat or opportunity?16:01 — Choosing to “throw more eggs” into his entrepreneurial endeavour17:31 — His most exciting opportunity; partnering with Google Pixel19:17 — Assumptions people make about his content/life and what his family thinks23:50 — His wife being a key factor in Supendra’s decision to pursue content creation26:14 — Toronto’s biggest strength, insecurity, and what it wants the world to know?29:55 — Where he sees himself personally and professionally over the next few years31:19 — How connected does Supendra feel to the Tamil diaspora?33:06 — Advice he would give his 16-year-old self34:18 — The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for by friends/family35:00 — Creator Confessions41:30 — The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan Support the show

April 13, 2026Episode 1361 hr 7 min

EP #136: Michele Peter - Amazing Race Canada Contestant, Public Speaker, Host & Woman Of Faith

Michele Peter ( @missionswithmcmichie ) is a host, public speaker, @amazingracecda contestant & woman of faith.She joins Ara on this episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss how she found her calling as a social worker, the stories behind her appearances on various TV shows (Family Feud Canada, Amazing Race Canada, etc.), meeting Lily Singh ( @lilly ) and being dubbed her doppelgänger, how she finds healing in entertaining others, her unwavering Christian faith, and so much more.Follow Michele:- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/missionswithmcmichie/) Timestamps00:19 — Ara introduces this week’s guest, Michele Peter01:37 — Formative years; being born in France, facing racism in Canada, etc.09:28 — Seeking a career where she could help others & leverage her passion for art14:04 — Being forced to make an audition video that would change her life18:23 — The most difficult moment she faced on Amazing Race Canada20:40 — Facing inner thoughts / cultural considerations while being on reality TV25:03 — Meeting Lily Singh; being called her doppelgänger28:53 — Her experience with Family Feud Canada32:25 — Has Michele ever bombed on stage?36:32 — Embracing her Christian faith; learning to express it via social media41:23 — Being an outgoing / expressive Tamil woman; the cultural stigmas44:04 — What success looks like to Michele, even if no one is clapping47:08 — Advice she would give her 16-year-old self48:50 — The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for by friends / family50:29 — Creator Confessions01:05:15 — The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan Support the show

August 31, 2025Episode 13549 min

EP #135: Siva Balakrishnan - Indian-Based Entrepreneur (Founder of Vserve Ebusiness Solutions) & Angel Investor

Siva Balakrishnan is the Indian-based Founder Of Vserve Ebusiness Solutions ( @vserveebusiness ) and Angel Investor with the Mumbai Angels Network.He joins Ara on this episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss how observing the scarcity mindset around him while growing up in India taught him to come up with solutions on the fly, why your first customer is always buying you as the founder (not the product/service), the state of AI being more probabilistic that deterministic at the moment, finding value in failing fast, living by the belief that the journey is the reward, and so much more.Follow Siva:- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/siva-balakrishnan-38216b1/) Timestamps00:19: Ara introduces this week’s guest, Siva Balakrishnan00:49: How growing up in India shaped Siva’s solution-oriented mindset03:02: Early entrepreneurship; being a mechanical engineer, outsourcing a web developer gig05:01: Seeing a gap and capitalizing to launch Vserve; hiring a browsing centre06:37: The evolution of Vserve; from what it was to what it is08:21: How entrepreneurs can secure a first customer and find their niche10:59: Balancing offering white glove customer service while being cost competitive14:10: Maintaining company culture as the CEO of a distributor outsource workforce17:28: Siva’s view on AI now and looking forward21:25: What’s the next phase of life after 20 years into his journey?23:11: How Siva decides what he is willing to put money behind as an angel investor25:43: Other South Indian Tamil entrepreneurs making waves26:56: The role Siva’s family plays in the choices he makes28:48: The importance of failing fast; a past learning lesson from his journey30:37: Advice he would give his 16-year-old self31:47: The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for and the value of compounding36:51: Creator Confessions49:02: The Wrap Up Intro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan Support the show

June 22, 2025Episode 13458 min

EP #134: Meena Kothandaraman - Experience Strategist At twig+fish, Graduate Lecturer & Proud Canadian Bostonian

Meena Kothandaraman ( @meena_ko ) is an Experience Strategist at twig+fish, UX Expert, a long-time graduate lecturer at Bentley University ( @bentleyu ) and a proud Canadian Bostonian.She joins Ara on this episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss growing up in Ottawa with Indian-Tamil roots, how she enhances users experiences and the importance of connecting to peoples’ stories, how her & her business partner came up with the twig+fish name, why the education system needs to change, her creative endeavours (a children’s book and cooking show), and so much more.Follow Meena:- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/meenakothandaraman/) Timestamps00:19: Ara introduces this week’s guest, Meena Kothandaraman00:40: Meena speaks on her early childhood; the impact of her parents03:29: Indian-Tamils and Sri-Lankan Tamils05:09: Moving from Canada to the United States for education06:40: Meena speaks on her siblings08:02: What her parents did to strengthen Meena’s bond with her siblings09:22: How she named her company and designation14:40: Why she chose her career field; the rise of UX18:22: Should you follow your passion or something you’re good at?21:54: Balancing her entrepreneurial efforts and lecturing at Bentley University25:51: Do both roles go hand-in-hand to bolster her credibility?29:18: Meena explains the ‘NCredible Framework’32:07: Writing 10 children’s books and hosting a cooking show39:29: Innately being an adventurer; wanting to try different things40:17: Advice she would give her 16-year-old self41:33: The legacy she wants to be remembered for by friends and family42:42: Creator Confessions55:57: Advice for Tamil creators58:39: The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan Support the show

June 7, 2025Episode 1331 hr 1 min

EP #133: Siv Sivasamy - UK-Based Co-Founder Of The Mayfair Collective

Sivathasan “Siv” Sivasamy ( @siv.sivasamy ) is the New Business Director at Charles Square as well as the UK-Based Co-Founder Of The Mayfair Collective, a trusted circle of family office advisors that builds business relationships with purpose.He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to drop countless gems while discussing arranged marriages, why the Mayfair Collective was created, why modern day relationships are like microwave meals, how boredom can actually be a gift, the “let them” theory, having always been able to connect with people/how it naturally led him his career path, and so much more.Follow Siv:- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sivasamy/) Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Siv Sivasamy01:20 - Siv’s formative childhood years; from Sri Lanka to the UK05:50 - Do arranged marriages have more longevity?08:13 - Why he chose an arranged marriage11:16 - Modern day relationship dynamics13:49 - How the age of abundance leads to shallow perspectives15:08 - Is boredom a gift?16:37 - Men struggling to have deeper conversations/a loneliness epidemic20:34 - Andrew Tate, Adolf Hitler, Donald Trump, Nigel Farage, etc.26:44 - Losing the fine art of debate and why you can’t force people to change30:01 - How he ended up with Charles Square, what he does, and more40:25 - Mayfair Collective; what it is, how it works, and Ara gets rejected47:51 - Siv hangs up on Ara and calls back?51:41 - Creator Confessions1:00:32 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan Support the show

May 17, 2025Episode 13254 min

EP #132: Sujatha Sivarajah - Intrapreneur & Vice President at McKesson Canada

Sujatha Sivarajah ( @sujatha_sivarajah ) is the Vice President of Strategic Execution & Operational Excellence for McKesson Canada ( @mckessoncanada ).She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss the significant impact of her parents while she was growing up, being a part of a graduating class that comprised only 10% females, building teams at multiple companies including LifeLabs and Sanofi, being a woman of colour in a male-dominated field, the importance of building a solid foundation, her fascination with history, and so much more.Follow Sujatha:- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sujatha-sivarajah-p-eng-80897a9/) Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Sujatha Sivarajah00:43 - Sujatha speaks on her upbringing; Jaffna, Ohio, Nigeria02:19 - Sujatha’s dad being her mentor; advice for parents06:08 - Being a woman of colour in a male-dominated field (Electrical Engineering)9:52 - Her time at Ford during a recession in Canada; and then LifeLabs17:11 - Leaving LifeLabs after 7 years to build another team; this time at Sanofi21:10 - What is pharmaceutical manufacturing?22:23 - Was the lack of pharmaceutical manufacturing during the pandemic true?24:17 - What McKesson does, and what her role here is26:13 - What Sujatha hopes to accomplish during her tenure at McKesson27:34 - Her view on work-life balance29:19 - Parkinson’s Law - work expands to the time allotted for it30:35 - How she secured her roles; never saying “no”40:24 - What she would have done in another life; anthropology or archaeology42:13 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self44:02 - The legacy she wants to be remembered for by friends and family45:25 - Creator Confessions53:19 - The Wrap Up Intro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan Support the show

April 6, 2025Episode 13136 min

EP #131: Arunan Arulampalam - Mayor of Hartford (Connecticut)

Arunan Arulampalam ( @mayorarunan ) is the Mayor of Hartford (Connecticut).He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss South Asian representation slowly growing in the politics, his parents’ belief that “no one would vote for someone with the last name, Arulampalam” because of the world they inherited and overcoming these underdog odds, being the CEO of a non-profit before running for mayor, his passion for Hartford, the importance of faith and family in keeping him rooted, and so much more.Follow Arunan:- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/mayorarunan/) Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Arunan Arulampalam01:22 - Arunan’s thoughts on how the 2025 US Elections played out03:34 - Arunan speaks on his childhood years; not realizing he’d end up in politics06:43 - Politics being less openly discussed in today’s world07:09 - College, love, career, and family; Atlanta, LA, and Hartford08:43 - Why he loves Hartford; why you should visit10:16 - Being the CEO of a non-profit before running for mayor12:00 - His path to becoming mayor; beating the odds as an underdog15:47 - What he wants to accomplish during his time as mayor17:51 - His day-to-day as mayor; navigating a lack of time19:28 - How he manages his energy through work and familiar priorities21:20 - Family and faith dictating his decisions; staying humble23:35 - His biggest learning lessons since becoming mayor27:18 - What’s the Tamil-community like in Hartford?29:25 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self30:17 - The legacy he wants to be remembered for by friends and family30:51 - Creator Confessions35:36 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan Support the show

February 23, 2025Episode 13047 min

EP #130: Kamzy Gunaratnam - Norwegian Politician & Former Deputy Mayor Of Oslo

Khamshajiny “Kamzy” Gunaratnam ( @kamzy_gunaratnam ) is a Member of Parliament in Norway and former Deputy Mayor of Oslo.She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss how she got recruited into politics, being elected (at a time) as the youngest Deputy Mayor in Oslo’s history, why taxes are a good thing for the collective, what she hopes to achieve in the next few years (minimizing domestic violence and securing abortion rights for women), the impact of Utøya (the 2011 Norway attacks) on her personally including losing her best friend, the benefit of her individuality as a Tamil girl while growing up, how Helen Keller’s biography showed her she has no room to complain, and so much more.Follow Kamzy:- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/kamzy_gunaratnam/) Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Khamshajiny Gunaratnam01:09 - Kamzy’s early years; being shy before becoming a part of a Tamil Youth Organization02:49 - The process of being a new immigrant in Norway; then versus now05:27 - The Tamil community within Norway’s population of only 5,000,000 people07:59 - How she became Deputy of Mayor at such a young age and why she got selected10:57 - Shaping the vision and ambition for Oslo’s population of 700,000 people14:33 - The radicalization of Norway/the country’s ability to positively leverage tax money21:19 - Utøya ; losing her best friend and re-thinking her career in politics25:16 - The motivation behind the Utøya shooter26:15 - Hoping to minimize domestic violence/help women obtain abortion rights30:59 - The biggest learning session she’s experienced in the past three to five years; 35:12 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self37:38 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for by friends and family39:33 - Creator Confessions47:12 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan Support the show

February 9, 2025Episode 1291 hr 15 min

EP #129: Hari Mahesh - Founder Of ar•ram•bam & Director (New York) Of The Knowledge Society (TKS)

Hari Mahesh ( @harimahesh ) is Founder of ar•ram•bam ( @arrambam__ ), a modern third space for the next generation of Tamils and Southern South Asians, as well as the Director of the New York Chapter for The Knowledge Society (TKS, @tksworldhq), an accelerator for unicorn teenagers. He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss early exposure to tech in Seattle, his favourite Tamil actors, the magic of @yanchanproduced , building several apps during high school, how his parents felt about him dropping out, nurturing the next Elon Musks at TKS, starting a Tamil renaissance moment with ar•ram•bam, and so much more.Follow Hari Mahesh:- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/harimahesh/) Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Hari Mahesh01:09 - Hari’s formative years; travel, Tamil culture, and technology07:27 - The impact of frequently travelling/moving around during childhood10:28 - Learning to build friendships/relationships through common interests12:48 - From dropout to the youngest healthcare employee at Johnson & Johnson19:33 - His kickstarter in 2016 raising $15,000 for ZAVR Men23:40 - What TKS is and how the opportunity arose for him to lead the NY Chapter28:27 - Will the next Elon Musk emerge from TKS?41:11 - How ar•ram•bam came about, what’s next, working with Yanchan, and more56:36 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self58:46 - The legacy he wants to be remembered for by friends and family1:01:01 - Creator Confessions1:14:09 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan Support the show

January 20, 2025Episode 12852 min

EP #128: Swathi & Shurabi Anphalagan - Twin Sisters & Co-Founders Of "The Twin Tales Project"

Swathi & Shurabi Anphalagan ( @twintalesproject ) are twin sisters who both attend the University of Western, pursuing healthcare-related careers. They use science knowledge to promote inclusion in the “Twin Tale” series of books they’ve created.They join Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss being their innate curiosity and interest in science, choosing Western University ( @westernuniversity ) and healthcare career paths, working at the same jobs together over the years, their thoughts on AI, how volunteering at a local vaccine clinic during COVID-19 led them to spreading joy through the Twin Tales Project, their creative backgrounds helping them transfer knowledge and make it more accessible for the community, and so much more.Follow Swathi & Shurabi:- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/twintalesproject/) Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Swathi & Shurabi02:01 - Working together at the same jobs and being best friends04:08 - Their childhood; being immersed into the Tamil community05:44 - Growing up in Brampton and going to Tamil class07:26 - Choosing Western and healthcare careers; passion for science09:57 - How strong their twin telepathy is; finishing each other’s sentences10:30 - Their fourth year at Western and working at Unity Health13:20 - Their “Aha” moment; how the pandemic led to Twin Tales15:48 - Turning their idea into books; storylines, illustration, and publishing18:45 - Fundraising to get the Twin Tales Project off the ground19:36 - Two steps forward, one step back; over a year for a final product20:13 - Did they hesitate before deciding to work together?22:40 - Their parents being supportive during this entrepreneurial venture24:20 - Promoting their books through word of mouth and social media25:50 - Their thoughts on AI; how they see it impacting their careers29:43 - Having four books currently out and planning to release more30:47 - What they envision in 3-5 years; lifelong learning and community impact32:06 - Their biggest learning lessons in recent times; 33:54 - Advice they would give their younger selves35:39 - The personal legacies they want to be remembered for by friends/family37:10 - Why they are inspired by being kind38:29 - Creator Confessions51:17 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan Support the show