In the late 1960's, a large number of Indian students were in the New York metropolitan area. They formed the India Club of New York University, the India Club of Columbia University, and the India Student Association of New York. Along with these student groups, the Association of Indians in America, the Bharathi Society of America and the Tagore Society were representing Indians in the Tri state area.
In the late 1970's, India's Consulate General Mr. Ahuja and the Tagore Society's Mr. Prafulla Mukherjee took the initiative in calling all Indian groups in the tri-state area to develop a central committee. With the support of the three Indian student groups, the Joint Committee of Indian Organizations was formed under the leadership of Mr. Rajan Ghosh. The main goals of the Joint Committee were to celebrate India's Independence and Republic days. The joint committee adopted the constitution in 1975 and then changed the name to Federation of Indian Associations in 1977.
Thomas Abraham was elected as the First President of FIA. The FIA participated in the Parade of Nations. The Indian contingent was the largest in the parade. The India Independence Day celebration was changed to the India Day celebration. It was organized as a major festival and fair at Columbia University's College Campus. American political leaders attended the India Day celebrations and the event was featured on WABC TV's Eyewitness News.
Since then, the Indian community has grown in impressive numbers. Several temples, gurudwaras, churches, mosques and many other ethnic Indian associations in the tri-state area have blossomed and flourished.
Between 1977 and 1978 FIA collected over $25,000 in cash and approximately $100,000 in medicines which were donated to the Andhra Pradesh Cyclone Relief Fund. In December of 1977, FIA opened a central office in Washington DC for four months as The India Cyclone Relief Information Center.
In January of 1978 FIA held its first Folk Dance and Folk Music Competition at the Republic Day Celebration. Also, in May 1978, FIA, in cooperation with all other Indian associations, hosted a public meeting at the New York Hilton in honor of Prime Minister Morarji Desai.
The year 1978-1979 was the period of intense outreach to other communities. FIA took an active role in forming a coalition of Asian groups in New York City to celebrate Asia Pacific Heritage Week.
May of 1980 was when FIA endured one of its most focused accomplishments by arranging the First National Convention of Asian Indians in North America which was an immense success. 1,500 delegates and association representatives from throughout North America attended.
In March 1981 the leadership of FIA was taken over by Mr. Sureshwar Prasad Singh. In April 1981, FIA organized the first Drama Competition. Mr. Singh was reelected president for the year 1981-1982. During his term another historical event took place: the First India Day Parade was launched with thousands marchers, floats, bands, and political leaders - both Indian and American. The First India Day Parade began a tradition, which gave Indians a sense of identity and pride. Mr. Singh was Grand Marshal of the parade. The tradition of holding the India Day Parade in New York has become, over the years, the largest street gathering of Indian peoples next to the Independence Day march in New Delhi, India
H.C. Chandrashekhar took over the presidency of FIA for the 1982-1983 term. The second India Day Parade was organized and proved to be as popular as the first one. FIA started a tradition of inviting prominent Indian dignitaries as Grand Marshals and FIA presidents as Marshals. Zubin Metha was the Grand Marshal of the parade. The FIA was also keeping a vigilant eye on the interests of the Indian community. The Immigration Committee of the FIA played a key role in educating the community about the discriminatory Immigration Bill, which was introduced by Senator Simpson and Congressman Mazzoli. The bill proposed restrictions on the second and fifth preferences, which went against the concept of family reunification. The FIA together with the member organizations worked aggressively to get the support of senators and congressmen to retain the second and third preferences in their original form. Links were also established with other Asian Organizations.
During the Presidency of Sudha Acharya in 1983-84 seventeen new organizations joined the FIA. The association was growing exponentially. The India Day Parade that year would start a tradition of its own. For the first time an Indian movie star, Sunil Dutt, was invited to be the Grand Marshall of the parade. The third India Day Parade was a great success. This started the custom of having a movie star from India as a Grand Marshall of the parades. That year FIA organized Gandhi Peace Week Celebrations to mark the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, which was inaugurated by the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
The organization was recognized as a major representative of the Indian community and members of the FIA participated in the briefings arranged by the White House and the State Department in Washington DC. The Immigration Committee continued its efforts regarding the Simpson-Mazzoli bill and arranged a dinner reception for Congressman Peter Rodino in appreciation of his commitment to the concept of family reunification.
When Ram Gadhavi was president, the veteran film star Raj Kapoor was the Grand Marshal of the Fourth India Day Parade, which drew a spirited crowd. Mayor of City of New York, Mr. Edward Koch marched as a chief guest in the parade.
On October 31, 1984 India suffered a great loss when the Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi was assassinated. The FIA formed a committee of "People for United India" which included all major Indian organizations. A large condolence ceremony was organized in Central Park, which was attended by thousands.
Mukund Mody (85-86) dedicated the India Day parade during his term as the festival of India. The parade had the maximum number of 37 decorated floats depicting cultural and religious aspects of India and focused on scientific and technological progress. The FIA made determined efforts to bring estranged Indian groups together. General J.S. Arora and actor Shatrugna Sinha were Grand Marshals of the parade.
The sixth India Day parade was celebrated by the president Prakash Parekh (86-87) with the veteran actor Dev Anand as the Grand Marshal. The FIA led a vigorous campaign to prevent the slaughtering of thousands of dairy cows in the U.S. A petition campaign backed by extensive media coverage was undertaken. This had a significant impact on influencing the policy of slaughtering cows.
The FIA participated in a series of hearings held by the Mayor of New York's Task Force Committee and conveyed the concerns and problems of the Indian community. One of the positive outcomes was a decision by the City to increase the recruiting of Asian Indians in city agencies and a decision to hold a job fair to inform the Indian Community about opportunities in the city government. For the first time the FIA was represented on the Asian American Advisory Council of the New York City Police Department. The FIA continued its efforts to improve Indo-US relations and actively participated in the campaign against the sale of AWACS to Pakistan. On the cultural front FIA honored two famous Indian literary figures, Takazy Shivashankara Pilli and Umashanker Joshi.
During the years 1987-1988 FIA leadership was passed to Pravin Chopra. Actor Rajendra Kumar led the Seventh India Day Parade along with many prominent U.S. and Indian leaders. The FIA in association with its member organization AIWA, organized a job fair for the first time on Mahatma Gandhi's birthday. The FIA organized a peace march from the United Nations Plaza to Gandhiji's statue at Union Square. The FIA along with the International Mahatma Gandhi Foundation took its case to the people of New York to demand justice for violence against Indians in Jersey City. The organization also appealed to the Jersey City courts to prosecute the four juveniles as adults in the Navroz Mody murder case. The FIA raised over five thousand dollars to aid the victims of a massive fire in Passaic New Jersey that left 96 Indian families homeless.
Ramesh Patel served as President for two successive terms from 1988-90. His term started with a public meeting, which was attended by Governor Kean of New Jersey, Attorney General Edwards, Ambassador Kaul and others. The focus of the meeting was race relations in Jersey City and other areas of New Jersey where a high population of Indians resided. Over a hundred thousand people attended the Eight India Day Parade, which had popular actor Rajesh Khanna as the Grand Marshal. The Ninth India Day Parade was a notable because actress Hemamalini was the first woman Grand Marshal of the parade. By this time FIA expanded to a 76-member organization.
FIA opened a permanent office in Queens, New York. Prabir Roy, a loyal and dedicated supporter of FIA, donated the office space.
FIA held meetings with Queens Borough President Clair Schulman and the Indian business community, in order for services such as police patrols, transportation, traffic control and beautification of neighborhoods that consisted primarily of Indian businesses could be arranged.
Dr. Pravin Pandhi served as president for two consecutive terms between 1990-1992. FIA organized a public meeting on the Kashmir issue and set up a Kashmir Relief Fund. The Tenth and Eleventh India Day Parades had actors Vinod Khanna and Jeetendra as the Grand Marshals, respectively. Both actors drew enthusiastic crowds. The Mayor of New York City was a guest at the Eleventh India Parade. The India Day Parades continued to be tremendous success. The FIA in association with Asian Indian Women in America organized a workshop on SBA Loan Programs of the New York City office of the Comptroller. The FIA organized a Health Fair for the first time to provide free medical services to the members of the Indian Community. Under the chairmanship of Mangal Gupta, FIA celebrated their 20th anniversary in December 1991. Mahatma Gandhi's statue was unveiled in Union Square, New York.
Leadership of FIA was passed to Yashvant Patel for the year 1992-1993. Unfavorable weather could not dampen the spirit of the attendance of the Twelvth India Day Parade. Actor Anupam Kher was the grand marshal. For the first time in FIA history the Governor of New York, Mario Cuomo, participated in the parade. In response to popular demand, the Republic Day Celebration was shifted from New York to New Jersey.
Rajendra Shukla became president for the year 1993-1994. The Thirteenth India day Parade was ornamented by versatile artist Meenakshi Seshadri. Veteran actor, Vinod Khanna and Indian film Director Subhash Ghai, accompanied her. Sant Morari Bhapu and Sri Chinmoy also graced the occasion. The cultural events were temporarily halted when an attendee, Mr. Gurmukh Singh, was shot by a young Pakistani man.
During 1994-1995 Prabir Roy became the thirteenth president of FIA. The Fourteenth India Day Parade made history when two prominent female film stars were the Grand Marshals of the parade. Very talented film actress Asha Parekh and the first Indian Miss Universe, Sushmita Sen led the parade with a record number of marchers. Honorable Consulate General Gajanand Wakanker allowed the consulate office to be used for the FIA parade kickoff party and the tradition still continues. The FIA acknowledges this gracious service provided by the consulate office.
To mark the 47th Indian Independence Day, the FIA released 47 doves into to the air before the start of the parade. The honorable Mayor Giuliani and the honorable Ambassador Sidhartha Shankar Ray actively participated in the parade. For the first time Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Jain and Christian religious groups marched with their banners to show their unity for democracy. For the first time, the New York Times issued several articles in the weekend section and the New York Newsday released an 8 page supplement on India and Indians in the United States. For the first time Empire State Building lit the tricolor light for four days.
In several areas, the Indian-American community joined hands with Italian-American community.
Garlanding Mahatma Gandhi's statue in the Union Square was the highlighted event of the parade. Ambassador Ray, consulate General Wakankar along with the three superstars Minakshi Sheshadri, Asha Parekh and Sushmita Sen made the event more memorable.
The year 1994 was the turning point of Indo-US relationship. Through the tireless efforts of Ambassador Ray in Washington, with the help of Ramesh Patel of New Jersey, Prabir Roy of New York, Swadesh Chatterjee of North Carolina (In 2001 Mr. Chatterjee received the Padma Bhushan award), a strong pro-India caucus was established in Congress. Congressman Dan Burton's Anti-India bill received a humiliating defeat in Congress. FIA members took the initiative and through the work of distinguished personalities like Dr. Bhupi Patel, Dr. Navin Mehta, Dr. Sudhir Parikh, Dr. Narendra Kukar (AIA President) Dr. Nirmal Mattu, Dr. Sabharwal (Editor of Asia on Line), Dr. Japra, Subhash Kapadia and many more an unprecedented rally took hold throughout the USA. As a result, the historic Larry Pressler Amendment stopped weapons sales to Pakistan and President George Bush branded Pakistan as sponsor of terrorism. Ram Sachdev of the FIA with the help of all major associations and the news media India Abroad, raised substantial amounts of money for the benefit of Gurmukh Singh, the victim of the gun shot at the parade in 1993. The FIA was also active in raising the dual citizenship issue in a meeting with the honorable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narsimha Rao.
The torch of presidency was passed to Nitin Vora for year 1995-96. Under his leadership the FIA celebrated the forty-eighth anniversary of India's independence by organizing the fifteenth India Day Parade. The Grand marshal was the very famous film star Rakhee. The executive committee and board of directors amended the bylaws of the FIA Constitution. For the first time, US Senator Larry Pressler was the keynote speaker in the Republic Day Celebration
During the year 1996-97, Manhar K. Patel was president. During his tenure the sixteenth India Day Parade was organized to celebrate the 49th anniversary of India's Independence and the beginning of fiftieth Anniversary of India's Independence. The most respected and adored film star Sridevi was the grand marshal of the parade.
For the year 1997-1998 Kanu Chauhan became the nineteenth president of the FIA. The seventeenth India day Parade was celebrated to mark fiftieth anniversary of India's independence. The grand marshal of the parade was the versatile film superstar Amitabh Bachan. Mayor Guliani and Governor Pataki marched along Madison Avenue as chief guests. Film stars Rajendra Kumar, Jitendra, Jaya Bachan, and Vinod Khanna also participated in the parade. A gala musical program with Kumar Sanu and Kavita Krishnamurthy was held in Nassau Coliseum. The FIA also organized community meetings with the honorable Prime Minister of India, Shri I.K. Gujral.
A veteran of FIA, Chandrakant Trivedi was handed the presidency during the year 1998-1999 and became the twentieth president of FIA. As part of grand finale celebration of India's fiftieth anniversary celebrations the eighteenth India Day Parade was organized and renowned superstar Manisha Koirala was the Grand Marshal of the parade. The parade earmarked a new era of the presence of an Indian Government official at the ministerial level from India, Hon. Smt. Sushma Swaraj. Actors Vinod Khana and Anupam Kher also participated. Along with other organizations FIA participated in honoring Prime Minister Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee.
Yashpal Soi who had served as a vice president in the very first executive committee of the FIA in 1979 became president for the years 1999-2000. The grand marshals for the parade were film star Govinda and well-known vocal singer Asha Bhosle. FIA took an active role in raising funds for the Orissa cyclone relief and jawans for Kargil war.
H. R. Shah, a well-known entrepreneur and philanthropist became the twenty-second president of the FIA in the year 2000. The India Day parade was organized to celebrate the fifty-second anniversary of India's independence. Veteran film stars Rekha and Revena Tandon were the grand marshals of the parade. For the first time a visa (India) camp was opened in New Jersey by the consulate office.
The leadership of FIA for the year 2001-2002 was passed to Subhas Dalal. During his tenure, the twenty-first India Day Parade marked the fifty-third Anniversary of the India's Independence. The grand marshals of the parade were film stars Mahima Chaudary and Puja Bhatt. Distinguished music director Bapi Lahiri was also present. During this period, the unfortunate tragedy at the World Trade Center and Pentagon occurred. The FIA with the help of Nitin Vyas, a community leader, helped the victims' family in the 27the Armory. Prabir Roy and Sipra Roy were available as interpreters for the Bengalee families. FIA president and NFIA chairman Ramesh Patel and other organizations arranged a mammoth memorial services for the victims of World Trade Center in Union Square. In spite of heavy rain, all community leaders and all of the representatives of religious groups took part in the services. Home minister Jaswant Sinha, the Indian ambassador and consulate general were also present at the memorial service. The FIA also responded to the Gujarat Earthquake relief. The FIA donated a considerable amount of money for Gujarat Relief and World Trade Center fund.
Albert Jasani, another well known entrepreneur and philanthropist in the tri-state area became the president of FIA for the year 2002. Under his leadership the twenty-second India Day Parade was organized and the grand marshal of the parade was well-known film star Madhuri Dixit. Mr. Jasani was instrumental in installing a 26'statue of Sardar Vallabhai Patel, former deputy premier of India also known as the Iron Man of India at the premises of the famous Royal Albert Palace in New Jersey.
Mr. Jagdish Patel, current president of FIA added more color to this year's parade by sponsoring a magic show by the famous P.C Sarkar, Jr. on the night of the 17th at the Hammmerstein auditorium, NY, and another show at the gala dinner on 18th of August 2003. The FIA with the help of New York Life and Royal Albert Palace will present one free show arranged to entertain senior citizens and children.
The FIA remains pledged to continue its service to the Indian community and to stand strong behind any cause that effect India and Indians in America.