The Seettu system is a perfect example of a practice that grew out of collectivist cultures; you make monthly contributions to a money pool, which is then divided up among participants on a rolling basis. For Tamil immigrants without credit history or assets, Seettu allowed businesses to flourish, for newly arrived Tamils to find their footing, and to pay towards important milestones whether it was a wedding or university expenses.
Collectivism is often used as an example to separate east and west; the idea that Asian communities are more community-focused and family-oriented than their western counterparts isn’t new. In places like Canada, there is undeniably a focus on accomplishing things on your own. Making it on your own is the going trend; social media is full of clips idealising the hard work that goes into raising your children without any support, for example. Clips of young parents criticising others for having the help of grandparents, or young parents proudly refusing help from their community can be found all over social media. In business, this pride is even more pronounced; self-made businessmen and women selling you on the idea that you shouldn’t rely on others is a big one. The idea of being self-made and starting from the bottom is seen as enviable and worth admiring, with the hustle, long hours and lack of sleep presented as something to aspire to. Of course, whether it’s child rearing or business ventures, there’s nothing wrong with doing it yourself. But it’s interesting to see how it has evolved over generations in the Tamil community to take on a very different definition today. Let’s take a look.
One of the reasons can be tied to the loss of family bonds. Our parents grew up in tight-knit, small communities with lots of siblings and cousins, where family and community needs often held centrestage. Doing what you can to help out those you care about is an idea that many of us were raised to follow, likely influenced by the community bonds and ideals that were carried by Tamils to faraway places in the 90s and 2000s. We all know the phrase “it takes a village;” as a kid, getting dropped off at an aunt’s house, having newcomers staying at our houses, and looking out for others in the community was commonplace. There’s no doubt that many Tamils were able to rely on such relations, as well as the wider Tamil community, to find support. But on the flip side, the war also meant your entire family was sprinkled around the world. Most Millennial and Gen Z Tamils likely have several dozen or so uncles and aunts all over the world, from Australia to the UK to Singapore. The loss of these family bonds meant that folks may have been forced to pull a lot of weight on their own, without reliable support systems.
But loss of family bonds doesn’t explain everything; there are still those who’ve been in Canada for generations that may not relate fully to the village mindset. For that, it may just be good old capitalism. The media influences I mentioned earlier play a significant role in shaping our value systems. The gold standard of doing things on your own and refusing help is a central part of how we are expected to act; it is very likely that younger generations brought up in the west may align more with these ideals than those brought by our parents. This difference is often seen between older and younger family members; grandparents and older parents who rely heavily on their support networks and extended families, and younger parents and kids who may be more inclined to take a solo approach.
Another reason, mentioned in the article linked above, is that maybe the need for community support is simply not as needed as it used to be; over the years, the Tamil community has only become more and more well-established. Businesses are booming, and many members of the community who came here with minimal resources are now doing well and standing on solid ground. Access to more resources makes it less necessary to lean on others, which may explain people’s ability to be increasingly independent.
Achievements made with “the strength and support of my family” don’t exactly have the same ring as “I came from nothing, worked hard, and got to where I am without any handouts”. But the gradual replacement of the “village” mindset with a more individualistic approach doesn’t have to be a bad thing. You could in fact argue that it hasn’t gone away at all, but simply evolved; individual pursuits have allowed entrepreneurs to put their time and money towards business ventures, including many that seek to spread Tamil culture and support the Tamil community, from mentorship programs to restaurants pitching Tamil street food, to Tamil comedians making rounds around the world. On an individual level, “doing it on your own” has allowed young people to carve out their own fulfilling career paths, unencumbered by expectations of what is socially acceptable.
The Seettu system reminds us that community-driven practices can adapt to fit the needs of changing generations. While the form of support has shifted, the essence of uplifting one another—whether through collective or individual actions—remains at the heart of the Tamil community’s story.
