Indian Ambassador Piyush Srivastava and his wife, Monika Srivastava, Patron of the Indian Ladies Association, together inaugurated the new premises of the ILA in New Zinj. The independent villa promises ample space for the 67-year-old Association’s many member activities, community outreach programs and especially, additional space for new and varied activities for ILA SNEHA Recreation Centre for Children with Special Needs, the free center which the ILA has been running for 37 years for children of all nationalities.
The two-stored premises has car parking in the compound for about 9 cars and ample car parking open space outside as well.
Indian Ambassador Shri Piyush Srivastava congratulated the ILA on its new premises and called upon the community to support the legacy organization.
“As the first official independent women’s group in the GCC, the ILA has a rich tradition of community work and this move to new and larger premises is a reflection of the Association’s ambitious plans to expand its services. I wish the ILA all the best in the future,” he said.
“The ILA’s members had agreed to shift to larger premises almost a decade ago but the momentum and encouragement to do so came only this year, with the encouragement of our Patron Smt. Monika Srivastava,” said ILA President Mrs. Sarada Ajith, “Over the years, our member base has changed and so have our activities roster and we found that we needed more space for ILA work as well as for Sneha. This new premises is a welcome expansion for us.”
ILA Patron Smt. Monika Srivastava expressed her happiness at the new premises and said that she was confident that the ILA would scale new heights in bringing together Indian women and serving the community as well as a cultural bridge between India and Bahrain.
Present at the inauguration were VIPs, supporters of the Association’s charity work and community leaders. The evening also included a formal unveiling of a plaque by the Ambassador and the Patron to mark the occasion and an exhibition of art by the members and some selected paintings by the Sneha children.
“This is an opportunity for all of us to create more of a community presence for ILA and Sneha Children. This would be a great milestone for ILA to move into the new premises and make the maximum benefit out of it. It is exciting to think that we can have more activities and can save the cost of renting external halls henceforth.” Mrs. Sarada Ajith said.
