The mighty tidal wave of progress in China is pulling in people from all over the world. Indians who have from times immemorial shown sturdy migrant tendencies – and are actually all over the world – are arriving daily in a steady stream at the glittering port of Shanghai. And with them are coming not only the amazing management, engineering, accounting, market research and entrepreneurial skills but also the rich colors of Indian heritage, culture and music from which they cannot be separated.
Indian Association in Shanghai, working under the auspices and patronage of the Consulate General of India, formally came into being in 2006 when the original two Indian organizations- SHILA (Shanghai Indian Ladies Association) and SHIBA (Shanghai Indian Business men Association) – united to work under the same banner. It was a landmark occasion and every one celebrated this perfect union which was to greatly energize the Indian community.
Our yearly charity events have evolved into being calendar events on the Shanghai social scene. Who can forget the wonderful response we got for programs Passage to India, Namaste from India and Bollywood Dreamz, followed by the frenzy generated by the Usha Uthup Nite. The success story written with these shows culminated into an evening last year on the occasion of Diwali when top notch artists of international stature like the Colonial Cousins were amongst us to perform. Our ambition is to keep up this wonderful work and bring more Indian artists and simply get Shanghai rocking!!
Smaller events like Navratri and Dandiya parties, Chat parties on river cruises, etc continue to lend themselves to making Indians feel closer to their homeland.
Business events organized periodically have helped to provide value addition and achieve financial objectives for the Indian conglomerate present in Shanghai. Be it a talk by Professor Yang which provided an excellent prelude to the Indo-China talk on Business collaboration or an Insurance Seminar with guest speakers from Jeevan Beema Nigam (LIC), AIG, Abacare or a visit by dignitaries such as Deputy Chief Minister Mr. R.R. Patil or Justice Sirpurkar, Indian Associations has tried to cover as much ground as possible to cater to a gamut of interests of the Indians residing in Shanghai.
Sporting events which have been organized have featured a wide variety of activities involving all age groups. Cricket, tennis, badminton and table tennis tournaments are held periodically providing sports enthusiasts a chance to compete and hone their skills on the course in a spirit of camaraderie and friendly rivalry. Our members have trained for and run the Shanghai Marathon for a few years now.