New association to help people from southern India settle in Greater Sudbury

The Sudbury Malayala Samajam is hosting a cultural event Tuesday at the Caruso Club. It's called Holy Daze and is Christmas and New Years celebration featuring southern India food, music and traditions. (Alana Everson/CTV News Northern Ontario)

The Sudbury Malayala Samajam is hosting a cultural event Tuesday at the Caruso Club. It's called Holy Daze and is Christmas and New Years celebration featuring southern India food, music and traditions.

"This is a new association. We would like to unite all the Malayala people who came from India under one roof so we can help each other and spread our culture to the new generation," said Sajin Murali, the secretary of Sudbury Malayala Samajam.

Officials with the non-profit association told CTV News it was started in September to help newcomers from south India.

"Most of them are students who come here on a student visa. So when they come here on them the change is actually a big change from the culture in Kerala to the culture here in Sudbury.” said Harish Subram, the co-treasurer of Sudbury Malayala Samajam.

“So we want to help them integrate into the culture of Sudbury, the culture of Canada so that this transition is smooth."

Officials said the number of people coming to Greater Sudbury from Southern India is growing.

"We have lots of people from our province it's called Kerala the south part of India,” said the president of the new association, Leya Paul.

“So we have so many students here is Sudbury, so we just need to help everyone,"

Irfan Mohamed was 25 years old when he migrated to Canada from southern India in 2016 and now works in Sudbury as a taxi driver and dispatcher.

Mohamed said when he came here everything was new to him and he hopes the association helps newcomers.

"When they are far from family they have such kind of pressure and we up here don't want them to feel that pressure," said Mohamed, who is also co-treasurer of the association.

"So we want them to feel this as home, they have some people who have experience and come and talk to us to face some issues cause you know when most people get pressure they do other things. Like they do suicide because they miss their family, they miss their friends. They have an out of pressure because of studying, working and everything, the weather up here. So we are here as a community to support all these people."

Holy Daze is Dec. 27 from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and tickets are still available online.

Officials say the event is open to everyone.