A home away from home – the ICCA

Prasad Bhosekar, Nottingham It was the lure of a better life that brought a large number of Indians to England many decades ago. They wanted a more prosperous future for their loved ones and the foreign land did weave some beautiful dreams. However, there was a flip side to the dream as well; the innocent lot had to bear the brunt of racism that was always an undertone of the environment, especially in those times. But, never to be done in by anyone in their spirit, overcoming all odds, the Indian community managed to establish its first community centre in the United Kingdom, in Nottingham and called it the Indian Community Centre Association (ICCA). The ICCA building in Nottingham is a symbol of dignity for the thousands of Indians who are part of the Diaspora even today. The structure, especially its main entrance, has been designed on the lines of the famous Buckhingham Palace and that too for a purpose There`s a profound history of fighting inequality behind starting the ICCA. It was established defying many odds, starting from a mere room of an abandoned bread factory to its journey of the structure costing 35 lakh pounds in its present day glory. Pushkar Singh Lain, founder member, ICCA puts it aptly, “We faced many difficulties and hardships when we came here, we were not welcome by the local English community, for years it went on but we were also determined to make our livelihood here. Get our foothold here and starting with one room in the beginning, now we have premises of our own.” ICCA is multi-faceted and serves the needs of the Indian community in the UK. To become its member, one has to pay just four pounds as fee per year. The association building has a big hall wherein a function for 800 people can easily be held. It also has a pub and a dance floor for the youngsters to ensure that there`s some activity or other going on at the venue round the year. Apart from the Indian community, local Englishmen have also started using the huge premises to hold functions and parties. The ICCA also provides assistance to British nationals in case they want to visit India. According to Amardeep Singh, manager, ICCA, “There`s something for everyone here. Well, for elderly people, we have a special session from morning till evening where they are picked up by our bus and depending on their respective interests, we provide them with the assistance. Then there`s a doctor all the time to take care of these elders. We provide lunch at subsidised rates for elder community.” It is true that over the years things have changed; the United Kingdom’s is now a multi-racial society, much more tolerant to colored people compared to earlier times. But, the first of their generation who had come here still remember their hard days. Undoubtedly, this ICCA building will be testimony of the times... past, present and future, reminding us of the place that we come from, our roots.