Thamarai, it’s a pleasure to meet you!

We at Thamarai would like to give a very warm welcome to Prenessa Nalliah, who is the latest contributor to join the Thamarai family. Based in South Africa, Prenessa is a young creative who will, through a series of articles, look at the overall standing of South Indian media content, ways in which growth within the scene can be encouraged, and ways in which media content can have a wider impact.

But first, let her introduce herself to you, so you can find out more about who she is and what she does…

Thamarai, it’s a pleasure to meet you! That’s the kind of reaction we want, and that this site got out of me from my very first visit. It’s always tough to find your feet within a new system, but the team behind Thamarai have been amazing from the start. As a means of breaking the ice, I thought I would begin by introducing myself and giving everyone an idea of my place in the entertainment industry in South Africa especially as a young woman, proud of my South Indian heritage.

First and foremost, I am a student, and I believe that never changes, regardless of our age or occupations. There’s something new to learn every day and one has to grasp every opportunity. After spending some time studying Architecture, I developed a programme that I hoped would make a lasting positive impact on society; all the news about substance abuse and violent crime on the rise really started to get me down and I thought about a way in which I could help address that, while getting the community to have some good, clean fun in the process – thus came into being, the Creative Angels Fashion Benefit. What also helped hugely, was that an acquaintance had approached me and asked if we could start a fashion show to raise funds for his mother’s medical procedures. I thought that we could start off with that, and grow it with time.

Within a few months, the show became a living being: expanding beyond belief until South African entertainment icon, Soli Philander, became a supporter! After much sacrifice and superb input by a number of students in Cape Town, the show raised just over R8000 in one night for an existing local non-profit organisation, the Little Angels Place of Safety & Help Centre.

Shortly thereafter, an emerging creative company agreed to assist with the project’s main objectives, and in turn we would direct our funds into a new independent education fund for elementary scholars in Cape Town. The creative company, "SaiCo. Creative" is also owned by a young lady, remarkably proud of her Indian heritage, and is deeply rooted within the fashion and entertainment industries. From professional management of models and actors, photography and styling, to image consulting, educational programmes and event management – "SaiCo. Creative" has joined forces with the CAFB to become a truly unique presence, able to bridge the gap between those less fortunate and those A-list members.

Our hope for 2013 is to reach as many people as we can, to integrate the values instilled by humane culture into the daily aspirations of those we work with; to continue to build the confidence of so many deserving youngsters and teach them how to accept themselves before asking others to join them. The entertainment industry has massive potential to effect positive change, more so because it is always drawing interest from global society.

Still, being 20 years old, of course people underestimate me and for many reasons. The stress of dealing with publicity and criticism is something I feel everyone in this industry needs time to adjust to, and I’m glad to have begun early enough to allow myself sufficient time to learn, grow and help others along as well. As the CAFB grows, I do hope more of Thamarai’s dedicated readers take a few extra minutes to follow the initiatives. We’ve just set our sights on international expansion, and with a few of India’s well-known faces showing their support, I am confident that we can cater to one and all. For the moment, our websites are under construction but once they’re up and running, those details will be made available as well.

Now that I’ve given you all a chance to learn about me, I’d like to briefly introduce the next article. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be looking at the overall standing of South Indian media content, at a global scale. You’ll get your chance to have your say as well, as we look into the opportunities and problem areas with current and potential audiences.

From sunny South Africa,

Prenessa Nalliah

You can find Prenessa on Facebook and Twitter.

Interested in contributing? Send a brief pitch to editor@thamarai.com, along with a brief introduction to yourself, and your contact details. We regret that we cannot pay our contributors at this time.