India Society saga marks 50 years; From simply finding each other to packed Bollywood Nights.

• Author: Knothe, Alli
• Position: Local

Byline: Alli Knothe

Fifty years ago, finding Indian immigrants in Worcester was a difficult task.

"We had to go through the phone book to find Indian-sounding names,'' said Ashish Cowlagi, vice president of the India Society of Worcester.

Slowly, a community was built. It was a place for Indian immigrants to gather for traditional food with people of their own culture.

The handful of founders, who were mostly students from Worcester State College, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Clark University, wanted a place to gather with others who were 8,000 miles from home.

"We've come a long way,'' said Mr. Cowlagi, who noted that Indian-Americans are the largest growing minority in Shrewsbury.

Today, the India Society of Worcester offers activities for each age group and has a reach of about 2,000 people with roughly 400 active members.

It is celebrating its 50th anniversary through programs such as Bollywood Night, an expanded showcase India event and several other events.

"It has been a busy summer,'' said Rajiv Dayal, president of the organization.

In addition to cultural events throughout the year, the organization has established a crisis committee, a language school, dance and singing classes, a senior group, and a free health care clinic that is open to the public.

But while the society has evolved substantially in the past 50 years, it has no plans of slowing down.

At 152 West Main St., the parking lot fills up quickly. Inside the organization's single-story building is a wide entryway where last Wednesday people signed in to the health clinic and the volunteers managed the paperwork.

To the left are a handful of rooms branching off a narrow hallway. A large painting of Mohandas Ghandi hangs on the wall. Children can be heard singing from inside one of the rooms, where a class is held each week. Some rooms are set up for the clinic, with others set up with children's desks or tables and chairs for adults.

To the right of the entry is a gathering room with space for at least 200 people. Chairs line the walls but are moved out of the way for dance classes, yoga, the language school or other events.

"It's been 10 years since we had the center and we're really starting to push at the seams,'' Mr. Dayal said.

The society has to go to other venues to fit all the members for its events throughout the year, he said.

The language and cultural school, which currently has about 165 students enrolled, has to split into several shifts to accommodate...