Our Story

வணக்கம், 

My name is Nemica. I am the owner and co-founder of Chittukuruvi Bookhouse, the first and only exclusively Tamil children's bookstore in North America. I took a huge leap of faith last year, as a 22 year-old student, in investing a bulk of my savings into this project, while at the same time completing my Masters of Public Policy and Administration (MPPA). Letting go of savings that I had accumulated since the age of 16 through multiple part-time and summer jobs was nerve-wracking, but the overwhelming support we have received from the global Tamil diaspora since first starting to sell via Instagram in Nov 2022 has made it all worth it. 

I am so fortunate to have the most amazing support system of family, friends, and loved ones, who have helped make this years-long dream into a reality. Without you, this idea would have surely stayed in the Notes app. 

While I was completing my graduate degree in Ottawa during our first year in operation, my wonderful younger cousin, Varnica, a ninth grader at the time, was the one who packaged and handed over each and every order to customers picking up in Markham. I am eternally grateful to her for her support!  

I would also like to convey my utmost appreciation to two special women for inspiring this project: 

1.My wonderful childhood Tamil teacher, Mala teacher. Growing up (and to this day), I was extremely introverted and reserved and did not feel welcomed in traditional Tamil educational spaces. I did not develop a love for Tamil until being privately tutored by Mala teacher. She observed my love for writing and social justice. Rather than designing classes in a conventional manner, she was innovative and refreshingly modern in her approach. I recall reading a question in a workbook that I found to be rooted in caste-based prejudice. I nervously wrote my response, effectively saying that I refuse to respond, on the basis that I am not willing to entertain views rooted in pro-caste ideologies, no matter how subtle. Upon reading my response, she grinned with delight and profusely thanked me for expressing my thoughts and appreciated my critical thinking. Mala teacher loved Tamil so deeply and purely that at one point, she refused to continue to accept tuition fees from me. She taught me purely out of a passion for Tamil and love of teaching. 

Mala teacher instilled my passion for writing and stories. I recall how she would print assorted images for me and asked me to write original stories in Tamil, as best as I could. She even let me borrow her precious Tamil fairytale and fable book collection that she had bought from Singapore years ago. It makes me so overjoyed to know that those very books are now part of the Chittukuruvi collection today!  

2. The founder of Vaaranam Books, Vanitha Veerasamy. As many of you know, Vanitha is the founder of Vaaranam Books, a Tamil children's book publisher based in Australia. I will always be thankful for Vanitha's work as a trailblazer in the industry. As far as I am aware, she was the first to release a collection of modern and high quality Tamil children's books. Years ago, I purchased her Uyir & Mei Ezhuthukal set from Australia. While the child adored the book, as did I, I was dismayed that I could not order more due to the high shipping costs from Australia. Since then, I wondered why there could not be a Tamil children's bookstore, based in Canada, considering our large Tamil diaspora. This question stayed in my mind for years before I finally decided to consolidate a team, and ultimately establish Chittukuruvi Bookhouse. 

There is a bit (a lot!) more to the founding journey, and we hope to share it with you all in the coming years as we grow our Chittukuruvi community. 

As we strive to pass Tamil onto incoming generations, I hope this online Tamil children's bookstore will play a vital role in ensuring that learning Tamil will not feel like a chore for children, but a fun and intrinsic part of their lives. 

We are so grateful for your support of our small business. 

Ultimately, our mission is to foster a love of Tamil within our diaspora Chittukuruvis. We hope that you will support us in advancing this mission. 

With Love,

Chittukuruvi Bookhouse