Dear Odia Friends,
I am Dr Gita Mishra delighted to tell you that 2024 OSA convention is going to be in Nashville.
I'm giving this message as your Convener for upcoming celebration of 55th Anniversary of Odisha Society of Americas in the music city Nashville, TN USA.
We celebrated OSA Convention first at Nashville in 1989, then in year 2000 and will celebrate together in year 2024.
Nashville is where Lord Jagannath was consecrated first in 1992. Since then we have been celebrating Ratha Jatra each year, and here Puja is done according to Puri Puja paddhatis. Therefore Nashville is your Sreekhetra of USA. Nashville where East meets the West, all of you hopefully will be enchanted by the serenity and tranquility of this small town and also by our Southern hospitality.
Now we all Odias of OSA-Southern Chapter are inviting you all to come and join in our celebration to make it a grand success.
Namaskar!!
Dr. Gita Mishra
Convener, OSA 55th Convention
Namaskar OSA Convention attendees,
I’m excited to welcome you and your family to the 55th OSA Convention in Nashville, promising to make this event truly unique and memorable. With the invaluable support from our volunteers across all chapters, we’ve embarked on this journey with a focus on celebrating diversity and inclusion.
Hosting the convention in Nashville presents a unique opportunity to highlight OSA’s commitment to inclusivity. We’ve planned this event with a fresh perspective, aiming to foster community growth and provide a platform that represents the entire Odisha state as a part of the community. As part of this effort, we are excited to showcase the rich culture and art of Odisha’s Tribal population and Tribal Poet, which makes up 27% of our heritage. By including Tribal dance performances and cultural displays, we aim to integrate these vibrant traditions into OSA’s cultural future.
Additionally, we invite you to experience the historical Jagannath Temple in Nashville, which has been a spiritual landmark for 30 years, and participate in the Ratha Jatra festival.
Our young and energetic Odia community has organized several events and social gatherings to maximize participation in the OSA Convention. We hope this convention provides you with the opportunity to engage in a various activity, from captivating cultural performances and interactive discussions to debates and sumptuous food.
Welcome back! We have full confidence that you'll find immense enjoyment in everything the OSA Convention has prepared for you!
Best,
Dillip Dalai
Co-Convener, OSA 2024 Nashville
I am delighted to extend a warm welcome to each one of you to the 55th Annual OSA Convention, hosted in our famous country music city of Nashville. As we prepare to start the convention, I am filled with excitement and anticipation for what promises to be an exceptional convention. We are truly thrilled to have you join us.
This year’s OSA Convention takes on added significance with the inclusion of Ratha Jatra celebration being the highlight of our festivities on July 7th. This addition promises to be enlightening to our convention by offering a unique opportunity to immerse ourselves in the rich traditions of Odia culture.
These four days will be filled with numerous opportunities to gain knowledge, create friendships, and have a deeper sense of our culture. It is our sincere hope that you walk away from the convention wanting to come back the following years.
I extend my deepest gratitude to everyone who has contributed to making this convention into what it is today. A special thank you goes out to our OSA Southern Chapter Family for their unwavering dedication and hard work. It is undeniable that without the tireless hours contributed by each one of you, we would not have reached the success we celebrate today. Your commitment truly encapsulates the spirit of our Volunteer State.
Once again, welcome and we look forward to seeing you all at the convention!
Best Regards,
Manoj Senapati
Co-Convenor, OSA 55th Convention, Nashville, TN
Namaskar! It is with great pleasure and anticipation that we extend a warm welcome to all our guests to Nashville for the 55th OSA convention.
In a way, we have been planning for this convention for five years now, beginning with the work we started for the 2020 convention. We are fortunate to have had that foundation, but we knew we couldn’t just pick up exactly where we left off. The world has changed over the past five years, and we want this convention to reflect how our community has grown as well. There are always challenges when planning such a large event, but we have worked diligently to develop a program that showcasesresilience, warmth, and strength of the Odia diaspora.
The cornerstone of these conventions is to provide an opportunity for Odias across North America to come together in a welcoming environment that celebrates our rich heritage and culture. As part of that goal, we have planned a packed itinerary full of performances, discussions, seminars, competitions, and more, as well as opportunities to meet old friends and make new ones. There is something for all attendees, from the oldest to youngest, from long-time OSA members to those who are joining us for the first time.
I want to highlight in particular the extraordinary schedule our dedicated youth and NextGen members have developed for this convention. Seeing the dedication, hard work, and creativity that they have put into planning is a welcome reminder that the youth are the future of OSA, and it is in good hands! The NextGen schedule includes creative events where young OSA members can demonstrate their talents, social gatherings for all ages, and seminars on important topics such as mental health, Odia identity, and planning for the future.These events will be beneficial not only for our young members, but for their families as well.
In addition to the NextGen schedule, I want to mention the opportunities for networking, information sharing, and development that exist throughout the convention, both in and out of planned events. Many of our attendees are distinguished academics, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders that have left their marks in their respective fields, and a key feature of the OSA and these conventions is the ability to make new connections and bring people together to learn from one another. Similarly, many attendees share a passion for altruism and philanthropy, and the convention can help like-minded individuals come together and find ways to give back to Odisha and the Odia community.
During the planning process, I have had the wonderful experience of interacting with many OSA members whom I may have otherwise not met, and their shared dedication to and love for Odisha and OSA is clear. The time and effort that members have put into planning and executing all the wonderful events is a testament to that. The strength and bright future of OSA relies on this spirit of community and shared development.
I hope our convention highlights all that is wonderful, impressive, and inspiring about the Odia community in North America and attendees leave with new friends and meaningful and memorable experiences. So once again, with our traditional Southern hospitality, welcome to Nashville and the 55th OSA Convention!
Thank you
Sangita Chakrabarty
Co-Convener
OSA 55th Convention
Nashville, TN