The formative years: 1969-73
Presidents: Titus Mathews, Brij Sood, Manu Patel, George Kurian

During the early years of the society, establishing itself among the diverse Indian Community and participating in public function on its behalf were the priorities. One organization catering to the social needs of people of many languages and religions coming from different parts of the Indian sub-continent and other parts of the world with many local traditions was an unenviable task. The only orginised religious group at that time was The Sikh Society of Calgary. So it fell to the India Canada Society to organize observations of religious and cultural festivals such as Diwali and Navratri. Many performances by visiting artists, a function now carried by Ragamala Music Society, were organized by the India- Canada Society. It also participated in the Annual Stampede Parade with its floats and other activities such as Christmas in Other Lands, Folk Dance festivals etc.

One event that needs particular mention is the expulsion of Ugandan Asians by Iddi Amin Dada in August 1972. The India- Canada Society played a leadership role in forming the Uganda Asian Committee and worked closely with the Secretary of State to receive some of those who came to Canada as refugees. The welcome offered to these people by Canadians at that time was indeed generous and heart warming, for every Ugandan Asian who came to Calgary was met at the airport and hosted for a few days in, mostly, private homes. We have many East African Indian living here today; but most of them came some years later.

A highlight of events during these years was the visit of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, whom members of the Indian Community were invited to meet, during her transit through the Calgary Airport. Another event I would like to recall was the first publication in 1972 of the news bulletin “ Chakra Latha”, a name coined by Dr. Ranga Sreenivasan, which combined the Indian symbol of Dharma Chakra and the Canadian Symbol, the maple leaf. I am really happy that this publication has continued, more or less, at regular intervals since that time.

Year of Growth: 1974-78
Presidents: B.D. Aggarwala, Ashok Bhasin, Ravi Sharma and Samir Majumdar

The rapid growth of people of Indian origin in Canada during these years was primarily the consequence of more liberalized immigration laws. The Trudeau Government first published a Green paper and invited responses from interested parties. The India- Canada Society submitted a written response. The oil shock of 1973 and increased oil prices brought new prosperity to Alberta attracting even more people to its borders, particularly professional people to the oil patch.

One consequence of growth in numbers was the multiplication of organizations based on religion, languages and regional cultures. The numbers were large enough from viable groups catering to the special needs of different groups. In order to accommodate this growth, The India- Canada Society changed its by-laws, became an umbrella organization and came to known as the India Canada Association (INCA). This was indeed a forward looking move for it enabled us to maintain some sense of unity in diversity. The Association concentrated on civic and collective social interests of the Indo- Canadian Community, leaving to member associations the responsibility for meeting the social and regional cultural needs of their members. For example, we have played a key role in twinning Calgary with Jaipur by hosting the large delegation from Jaipur. INCA delegates also played a key role in the National Association of Canadians of Origins in India (NACOI) at its founding convention in 1976.

The large influx of newcomers was not without challenges in their adopted country. In Calgary, the India Canada Association took the leadership in forming the Committee of South Asian (COSA), which was joined by representatives from other organizations as well, to take effective counter measures. Working closely with the Calgary Police, The Canadian Council of Christians and Jews, and local Media, COSA met with considerable success in reducing racial tensions. Some tangible evidence of these still remains, for example the multicultural unit of Calgary Police. The great service rendered by Dr. Ranga Sreenivasan, on behalf of COSA in publishing a magazine “ACCORD” and in producing a “Newcomers’ guide to Calgary” on behalf of the Racial Relations Coordinating Council, is worth remembering here.

Years of Oil Boom: 1979-83
Presidents: Inder Kher, Chandra Gajjar, Titus Mathews, Ranjit Dhaliwal

The third five year period under review was a difficult and uncertain one. There were many reasons for this. The prodigious effort in combating the racial problems had nearly exhausted the energies of those willing to work for a common cause. But more probably the priorities of the member societies to build their own place of worship had taken the attention away from the India- Canada Association. Also the oil boom years in Calgary diverted the interest of individuals to capitalize on opportunities presented in real estate and other business ventures. But the Association emerged from these difficult years stronger and with its vision intact.

Many activities such as annual dinner/dances, sport days, cultural festival, food fairs, workshops, seminars, etc., were regular items in the INCA calendar. It is during this period that the Association established out-standing awards and honorary memberships to its outstanding members of the Community at large. One of first recipient of the honorary membership was the later Premier of the Province, the Hon. Ralph Klein, a newly elected popular Mayor of Calgary.

It was during these years that a National Association of Canadian of Origin (NACOI) in India became established, of which the India Canada Association became an active member. The 1993 NACOI convention was held in Calgary and INCA played hosts to visitors from across Canada. It was also during these years that INCA opened its own office, thanks to generous grants from both federal and provincial governments. Another important decision taken during this time was to obtain a premise of its own and setting up of the Indo- Canadian Centre Association for this purpose.

Years of Consolidation: 1984-89
Presidents: Brij Sood, Balu Balachandran, Bipin Ganatra, Susannah Kurian, Chaman Narang

These years saw the slowing down of the growth of the Indian Community in Calgary largely as a result of the severe economic recession which affected the oil patch more than anywhere else in Canada. However, the Association was able to consolidate its programs and use its office to expand the services to its members, particularly the seniors. These years saw the building of the Calgary Multicultural Centre, for which many of our members had worked hard.

A highlight of these years was the 1988 Winter Olympics held in Calgary. INCA participated in many events which showed the world a truly friendly and welcoming city Calgary is.

Years of Achievement: 1989-94
Presidents: Ram Chengalath, Deepak Obharai, Vinay Dey

This period marks the Silver Jubilee celebrations of this Association and some of our member associations, but more importantly, our finally establishing an Indo-Canadian Centre in Calgary. The National Indo-Canadian Council held its annual convention last year in Calgary. I am particularly pleased about the emergence of new leadership among the next generation who should carry the torch forward.
Conclusion:

When hearing the highlights of the achievements of the past twenty-five years, it is not easy to recognize how difficult it is for an association like this to manage to keep a silicate balance among the many interests represented by its membership. The India Canada Association has functioned as a truly democratic and representative organization. The Presidents and members of the executive have come from different parts of India and other parts of the world where Indian people have migrated. It has represented the interests of the community effectively at all levels of Governments.


The India Canada Association had a positive impact on our city and has made a contribution to make it a better place. Today we have an Indo- Canadian Centre. I believe that as India emerges to be one of the economic giants and provides business opportunities for Calgarians, INCA will be strengthened not only as an organization of Canadians of Indian cultural background, but as an organization of all Canadians with an interest in India.

The Achievements and Developments of The India Canada Associations of Calgary
1995 to 2009

By: Vinay Dey

In INCA’s history , this period will be highlighted for Partnership and Progress in order for the association to be more effective on the broader approach towards community welfare after having built a strong foundation in the past 25 years.

Due to cuts in funding, the progress of the association on various programs for community welfare could have been relatively slow but there was still a steady growth.

This is the period when we gave a new meaning to Multiculturalism and Diversity, in partnership with the Southern Alberta Heritage Language Association. Both organizations uphold the pristine objective of fostering human values through the concept of multiculturalism which then culminated in the annual Multicultural Gala Night, a hallmark in the annual activities in Calgary. It has also reflected the hard work and commitment of committee members and volunteers of both the organizations. In a subtle sense it has also contributed to the integration of various communities in Calgary.

During this same period we embarked on a bigger partnership with our established partners Gujarati Mandal and Calgary Indo-Canadian Centre Association along with the Bengali Association / Vedanta Society and the Murgan Society / Sathya Sai Baba Group to purchase a 40 acre land for bigger and better facility. This land will eventually be divided into three portions for the following groups: (a) Bengali/ Vedanta Society (b) INCA/CICCA/Gujarati Mandal and (c) Murgan Society/Sathya Sai Baba group. All the three groups have formulated their own plans to satisfy their respective community members needs.

With reliable feedback from the community members it was evident that INCA will have to have a Resource Centre mainly to combat various types of social problems within the community. The Resource Centre was started with some funding received and currently it has become a regular feature of the association with a coordinator working on various areas of need.

With the help of the Federal Government and Industry Canada, INCA started a computer centre and a library to benefit its members. This is also the period when the National Indo-Canadian Council received assistance from the Alberta Chapters to hold conferences in Calgary and Edmonton.

We have given a new meaning to the Alberta Stampede by hosting Stampede Breakfast Indian Style with an East Indian flavour. .This is now a popular annual event held both by INCA and NICC at the Indo-Canadian Centre.

Indo-Canadian Community is a force to be reckoned with. Our members have been recognized both federally and provincially with the Order of Canada, Queen Victoria medal as well as the Alberta Centenary medal.

INCA partnered with Indo-Canadian Chamber of Commerce in hosting the “Business with India Conference”. Our delegates have participated in the Prabasi Bhartiya Dibas in India.

In order to commemorate the 40th anniversary INCA has adopted a motto “institution of excellence” and a flag of its own. This would build grater focus in all the activities conducted. The current emphasis is to foster greater rapport and relationship with all the Affiliated Organizations for greater unity within the diversity.

The INCA Seniors Club has built up momentum ever since its recent inception and will become an established part of the association. The INCA youth group is becoming active in organizing the activities for the youths. Very soon a women’s wing will also be organized in keeping with the aspirations of the members.

The India Canada Association of Calgary has come a long way to become a well recognized organization with secular and non-political objectives. It has established itself to serve all Indio-Canadians in Calgary who have come from various parts of India with linguistic, regional and cultural differences. It is well poised to foster greater unity amongst this diversity.