Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Society of the Americas (OSA) was established in 1969 in the USA by a few visionary Odias who envisioned establishment of the identity of their home state Odisha in their adopted homeland, USA and rest of North America. Today, OSA is a strong member-driven organization with more than 1000 member families and close to 2000 members. Recently, elections were held for the offices of President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer of the Orissa Society ofAmericas for 2017-2019. The new office bearers of OSA for 2017-2019 are:
• Lalatendu Mohanty-President
• Susil Panda-Vice President
• Amar Senapati-General Secretary
• Sachi Pati-Treasurer
Under the able leadership of Mr. Mohanty, the new team has outlined their mission
for their tenure, which includes, but is not limited to:
Establish Member Connection-“Samparka”
OSA’s primary objective is “Samparka” which means connection in Odia. The aim is to establish and strengthen connection among members and maintain it. For this purpose, the resolve is to build exclusive support groups which would provide much needed preliminary assistance in various challenges that any member could face in their lives in health, medical, legal, career and personal fronts andalso assist in reaching out to the Indian Consulate when needed. The goal would be to stay connected by building a close-knit community and promote kinship in interest groups where members could share common interests and reach out to other members. OSA will cultivate and nurture a Women’s Forum which would be the go-to for Odia women who need support on personal, social as well as career fronts. By promoting kinship and support among women, OSA envisages the creation of a strong force which would play a vital role in taking Odisha to newer and unrestricted frontiers. The new Leadership Team would be accessible both individually and in a forum to assist and address concerns.
Promote Odia Culture & Heritage
OSA’s aim is to be the “Ambassador” of the beautiful and culturally rich state of Odisha in North America. The society would be a promoter of Odia culture and heritage, Odissi dance and Odisha’s folk dances, Odia music, Odia food, Odisha’s festivals and Odia language. OSA is a 50-year-old, strong Odia community and the new leadership team’s motto is to make a larger imprint of Odisha in The Americas. OSA would also be a medium via which other Indian communities would reach out to OSA members/non-members and in turn, to the people of Odisha. Interested Odia children will be encouraged to speak, read and write Odia so that the language is not lost to the new generation.
Encourage a Vibrant Generation Z
OSA aims at building dedicated Youth Networks at both Chapter as well as the National Level. The focus would be to utilize the enormous interest and the energy of Odia youth in the Americas and promote mentorship, guidance and leadership among them. The platform would allow the youth to bond and share their experiences on academic, social as well as personal aspects. This would result in a resilient and rooted Odia Generation Z who would be the torch bearers for OSA’s shining future.
Stay connected with Odisha
OSA would be actively involved in our Mother state of Odisha. The aim would be to extend their support in building a better Odisha and to reach out to the people of Odisha to make them more aware of OSA and the role it plays in promoting Odisha’s image and heritage as well as in supporting Odia people living in North America. This effort would definitely touch a chord with the people of Odisha and bring about a sense of acceptance and security to the newer Odia generation, desiring to emigrate to North America.
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