Indo-Canadian Networking Council

In early 1998 Dr. Kanwal Shankerdass and Thomas Williams got together to discuss an idea of how to effectively improve the communication between the various Indian groups that existed in the area. This lead to the development of concept that an organization that would work towards networking with the various Indian Organizations in Hamilton, Ontario and Surrounding areas to promote a common agenda would benefit the community. They called for a meeting of like-minded individuals and very quickly had Dr. Mohan Raghbeer join them in the noble pursuit. They then started the framework for the organization. The Council was officially formed in January 2003 to provide a forum for coordination of activities among Indian organisations in Hamilton and surrounding areas where frequent duplications and clashes prevented groups from meeting and getting to know one another or to advocate from common ground. A list then in circulation counted no less than twenty separate groups that had membership no larger than a few individuals or a family. This understandably mystified local officials who did not know whom to contact for an “Indian input” on community matters and clearly found it problematic to correspond with twenty unknowns. Forced to choose from volunteers or friends of city workers they admitted that they could not tell whether that voice represented all Indians. Some confessed not knowing that Indo-Canadians hailed from over fifteen countries, with often divergent perspectives and included all major religions. Representatives from ten groups approved the constitution and the six largest active organisations at that time formally established the Council with two representatives each: Burlington Arya Samaj, (ASB): Canadian Indo-Caribbean Association (CICA): Hamilton Goan Association (HGA), Hindu Samaj (HS), Hamilton Malayalee Samajam (MS) and Sagar Pare (SP). The other four supporters were the Gujarati group, the India Canada Society, McMaster Indian Students Society, and South Asian Women’s Group. Sagar Pare withdrew when the organisation disbanded.