Indian Cultural Center in Utah
SALT LAKE CITY: An India Cultural Center of Utah (ICCU) has started functioning in South Jordan (USA) whose “primary function is to promote the heritage, arts, crafts, sports and culture of India”.
A subsidiary of Sri Ganesha Hindu Temple of Utah, ICCU, an 8,378 square feet multi- use facility, claims to have taken up a leadership role towards preserving the classical music and dance forms of India. Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert recently inaugurated it.
ICCU, for which over $1.8 million were reportedly raised by volunteers, also includes a Dinesh & Kalpana Patel Auditorium, named after the prominent Utah couple who donated $100,000 plus.
Venkatesh Subramanyan, Dev Avasarala, Jayadatta Narasipura, and Harikumar Selvaraj are ICCU President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary respectively; while Indra Neelameggham and Pavitra Chari are its Manager and Assistant Manager respectively.
Dinesh Patel, a trustee, said that the Center was a culmination of more than a decade of fundraising and volunteer work. The center’s president, Venkatesh Subramanyan observed there are more than 5,000 people living in Utah from India or have ethnic ties to the country. The center will host Indian art shows, musical performances and other activities from Utah and around the country.
South Jordan City, settled in 1859 along the banks of Jordan River, has two Churches of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temples and its tagline is “It’s all about people”. Notable people associated with it include Olympic medalists Apolo Anton Ohno and Denise Parker, sculptor Edward J. Fraughton and National Football League player Keven Curtis. W. Kent Money and John H. Geilmann are Mayor and City Manager respectively.
India Post News Service
