WORCESTER, MA–The India Society of Worcester, known as the ISW, is one of New England’s most vibrant Indian associations. It is primarily a cultural, social, educational, and charitable organization. Moreover, no Indian-American community organization has 2,500 paid members in New England, and probably in the entire country.
Also, ISW has built a 10,000-Square-foot India Center, a dream of most Indian community organizations in the United States. On Oct. 29, ISW will be honored with the Community Organization award at the annual New England Choice Awards gala at Burlington Marriott.
In an exclusive video interview with INDIA New England News, ISW President Puneet Kohli talks about ISW’s 60-year journey and what awaits during the next 60 years and beyond. To watch the full interview, please click here, or on the image below.
The ISW’s purpose is to encourage people with ancestral origin in India or people who are otherwise interested in India, to form an effective and cohesive group with the objective of retaining, facilitating, and fostering the cultural heritage of India; including ethnic arts, languages and religions of its people. The society adds to the richness of the cultural diversity of the region and is a window into the cultural heritage of India for the local community. The ISW is non-political and non-sectarian. It does not subscribe to any one religion and does not discriminate against any person because of his or her religious beliefs or ethnic background.
The ISW is run entirely by volunteers with patronage from its growing membership representing all regions of India. Since its establishment in 1963, the ISW has become a conduit of Indian culture for young Indians born in the U.S.A., as well as the local communities in the region. It is an outlet where the young and the old are able to showcase their cultural talents. The ISW also collaborates with other Indian organizations in the region and acts as an advocate for many global and community causes. The multidimensional nature of the ISW has drawn local city and state authorities, as well as businesses to the society. Today, the ISW is one of the most renowned organizations representing the Indian Community.
History
1963 – ISW was established
1987 : New constitution established and ISW started creating new programs by bringing renowned artists to the Worcester area.
1963 – 1991 – Initial days of ISW as the organization which was founded by Mr Shyam Sharma evolved into a vibrant organization which started thinking about a community center.
1991 : In November of 1991, ISW acquired a 5-acre lot with existing buildings in a prime location in Shrewsbury, near Worcester.
1992-2004 – Seeding our roots by buying a 5-acre lot in Shresbury in 1991 and starting to envision a community center. Which was built and inaugurated in 2004.
2004 – 2022 – Growing the community and beyond. As the Indian community grew in multiples so did the activities of ISW. We launched our ISW2020 vision which resulted in 10 key initiatives and finally getting to expanding our center.
“We kicked off ISW 2025 which focused on 4 new initiatives – ISWSymphony, ISWUniversity, ISWPen, ISW WeW – these are focused on arts and music, expanded learnings like 3D printing, robotics, SAT classes etc.,” says Mr. Kohli. “Entrepreneur and Professional network and Women Empowering Women. We have been running close to 80+ events each year for the past 2 years around all the activities and initiatives I mentioned above. The focus now is to grow th reach to larger metrowest areas and bring other community organizations along with us. We currently serve over 4,000 people through our newsletter.”
The organization has about 200 active volunteers.
