The Odisha Society of the Americas, or OSA, is an organization whose stated goals are to promote the culture of the Indian state of

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

in the United States and Canada, and to facilitate the exchange of information between Odisha and

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

.Constitution of OSA
/ref> Founded in 1969, OSA is registered as a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

charitable organization in the United States. The main event of the organization is an annual convention which aims to bring members of the

Odia Odia, also spelled Oriya or Odiya, may refer to: * Odia people in Odisha, India * Odia language, an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family * Odia alphabet, a writing system used for the Odia languag ...

diaspora together to celebrate their ethnic culture. It held an annual get-together called convention, where people of Odia origin from different parts of USA and Canada mingled and shared experiences of ethnic living.

Current status

Today, OSA is a strong organization with 1500 or more individual and family members. This is due to individuals stepping forward to support different activities with innovative ideas which, when implemented, benefit us all. The organization has now spread into thirteen regional chapters, which operate as a social umbrella for different regions in the US and Canada. The chapters arrange various activities such as religious festivals, social get together, cultural events and participate in the cultural life of the local community as representatives of Odia culture. Besides these, the annual convention is the centerpiece of the society's activities.

Vision

The society's vision is to promote and propagate Odia culture in Americas by bringing together all the people interested in

Mission Goals

The mission goals of The Odisha Society of Americas are: · To provide a mutually supportive environment for the better interaction of Odia immigrants of North American countries through socio-cultural growth, friendship and fellowship. · To enhance the awareness of Odisha and Odia traditions in North America through cultural promotion, social events, and developmental activities. · To facilitate the exchange of information between Odisha and the United States/Canada.

Chapters in USA & Canada

There are 14 chapters in USA and 1 chapter in Canada. A new chapter, California chapter is under formation.

Events

OSA Convention The annual convention of The Odisha Society of the Americas takes place during the July 4th weekend every year. The main responsibility of hosting the convention rests with the local chapters of OSA. At times when local chapters do not bid for the convention, Odia communities under the leadership of an OSA life member and with 15 or more OSA members do take charge of organizing the convention. The convention serves to bring together people with roots in Odisha to share the pride in Odia culture and heritage and pass it on to the next generation. The annual convention is the centerpiece of OSA's activities. Th
52nd OSA convention
was held from July 2 to 4, 2021 at the newly buil
Orissa Culture Center
Venue, Houston, Texas. Th
53rd OSA convention
was held from July 1 to 3, 2022 in Sacramento, California. Past/Future OSA Conventions OSA Regional Oriya Drama Festival

started in 2009 for the first time. Dr Gopal Mohanty was the festival coordinator. The concept of regional drama festival went into effect during the month of April 2009 at 3 sites, Texas, Michigan and Washington DC. OSA is planning to continue the tradition in its present form or in an improved form (combining music and dances) for the future. OSA Southwest Chapter Drama Festival-2013 was held at Austin on 14 September 2013.

Publications

Odisha Society of Americas has been publishing souvenirs of its annual conventions from 1983. In 2019, all the editions were published in Amazon.com in print and Digital through Amazon.com, Google Play and Google Books.

OSA History

OSA Golden Jubilee Convention created History Team. The History Team collected VHS, Hi8 and DVD media of past conventions and events. Founders and members were interviewed. YouTube channel and PlayLists were created.

References

External links

Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Odisha Society of the Americas, The Odisha Economy of Odisha International friendship associations Overseas Indian organisations 1970 establishments in the United States Indian-American culture