India-Canada Cultural Association
Saskatoon Saskatchewan 52° 7' 54.49" N, 106° 39' 38.76" W Group
The ICCA is a non-profit charitable organisation that promotes Indian culture and heritage among residents of Saskatoon and beyond. Membership is open to anyone interested in understanding or just enjoying Indian culture.
History[edit]
In the early 1960s, only a handful of Indo-Canadians lived in Saskatoon. With the change in Canadian immigration policy in about 1964, those numbers began to grow. At first, Indian families met socially in private homes, but as their numbers increased, they soon felt the need for an organization to handle their social and cultural needs.
In 1968, the Indo-Canadian community formed an organization called India Club which organized a variety of functions to meet the growing community's cultural needs. India Club soon felt the need to expand its horizons and subsequently changed its name to India-Canada Cultural Association (ICCA). Along with the name change, the organization broadened its mandate to include the need to preserve and promote Indian culture not only within the Indo-Canadian community, but also to share this culture with the wider community. In 1976, the organization became a registered charitable corporation to facilitate this new role.
In 1985, ICCA made the first major revision of its bylaws to both clarify them and to accommodate its new community role as a participant in Folkfest, an event which it saw as a major educational avenue through which to showcase Indian culture.
From its inception and to this day, India-Canada Cultural Association remains a secular agency staffed solely with volunteers and will not knowingly promote the interests of one Indian cultural group at the expense of another. In accord with its mandate, ICCA hosts touring music and dance programmes open to the public, and upon request, the organization continues to provide cultural and educational presentations to community groups both in Saskatoon and in surrounding communities. Additionally, ICCA assists in the Meewassin Valley cleanup campaign and periodically donates funds raised at banquets to local charities such as the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre. ICCA's wider mandate is also served by its two recent publications on the thought of Gandhi and on Indian food.
In the 1970s, ICCA produced both a radio programme broadcast from the University of Saskatchewan and a cable television programme broadcast from the former Telecable studios. It currently broadcasts a radio programme entitled 'Sangeetmala' from the downtown studios of CFCR-FM radio and its programmes are also carried on the internet.
In 2007, ICCA logo was designed by Mr. James Premkumar. The ICCA newsletter took its current form and was named 'Community InSight' and ICCA's website was revamped.