Events, Special Days & Holidays

ODishA Dibasa 2012 is coming up on April 7, 2012
Please mark your calendar, and make the occasion memorable by your kind presence and participation

________________________

• Apr 7: OdishA Dibasa

Hand in Hand, United We Stand.

Welcome to the official website of the Orissa Society of Canada.

The Orissa Society of Canada, also known as OSC, is a registered not-for-profit organization created for fostering fellowship among friends and families of Orissa.

The history of the Orissa Society of Canada goes back to early 1960s when Oriyas first started migrating to Canada. There were only few families in sixties who didn't know each other. In late sixties a couple of families met each other accidentally since when they started coming in contact with each other and slowly started informal family meetings. With the addition of one family after another emerged a small oriya community in Canada. Since early seventies they started having get-togethers and small cultural programs. The first Oriya Society that came in to existence in Canada is Utkal Samaj that was registered in early 1970s. Utkal Samaj remained as the only OdiyA society till mid nineties although the activities were shrinked to holding cottage picnic and Asta Prahar only. Utkal Samaj went through many ups and downs, but still kept functioning as the only Oriya society till mid 1990s. However, in between for about ten to twelve years there were almost no activities in the society. Since late eighties some activities started taking place again. Utkal Samaj had organized the OSA Convention in Toronto in 1987 when Mr. Ashok Das was the then President.

In 1991-92 Utkal Samaj started a historic event in North America called "Asta Prahar"; with the leadership of Late Sanatan Mohanta and Late Rajenbdra Sarangi; that is the only occasion of its kind in North America that is celebrated every year in Toronto and is attended by huge number of devotees across North America i.e. from Miami to Montreal, and from West Virginia to Vancouver. Asta Prahar is the gift of Utkal samaj to the cause fo Hare Krishna Movement in North America.

Going back again to the history, some misunderstanding amongst the members in the society caused internal rifts that slowed down the activities of the society. The entire society was disintegrated. The name of Utkal Samaj is now living with the Asta Prahr only. However, besides Asta Prahar there were not much activities in the society. After a pause the Oriyas slowly started getting together again in later mid-nineties and started meeting once or twice a year holding a couple of functions. Now people gradually became more and more activite. Another OSA convention was hosted by the Oriyas in GTA in 1999 when Rina Patnaik was the President of the Society. Susmita Behera took charge from Rina Patnaik in 1999. After a while the members of the society started thinking of registering the society in the name of the Orissa Society of Canada. Debate on registration of the society and drafting the constitution of the society started from 1999. A general body meeting was held in 2000 / 2001 summer where a brain storming was held on a draft constitution of the Orissa Society of Canada. Mr. Ashoka Acharya presented the draft constitution of the Orissa Society of Canada in the General Body Meeting. Madhusmita Acharya was the first elected president of the society that time. Malay Bisoi took over as the Prseident of OSC from Madhusmita in 2001. Although the name the Orissa Society of Canada (OSC) was popularly being used earlier, it was formally registered in 2003 when the entire Oriya community was under the umbrella of the only Oriya society, the Orissa Society of Canada. The history is to continue...to make it complete---.....