Credibility: From left, Praful Desai, vice-president, Shail Wadhwa, treasurer, Subba Rao Varigonda, president and Dr Balu Vijay, general secretary.
THE Council of Indian Australians (CIA) represents about 150,000 people belonging to some 80 large and small community organisations in NSW.
CIA president Subba Rao Varigonda said his community needed such organisations to represent residents living in Blacktown, the Hills district and Parramatta who spoke several Indian languages and believed in many gods.
He said CIA was inaugurated at its first joint Australia Day and Indian Republic Day dinner in Blacktown about two years ago.
"We are holding a similar event at Blacktown's Bowman Hall on January 24 to help promote goodwill and racial harmony," he said.
"CIA believes we are all Australians — although we come from many parts of the world — and its events must be open to all."
Mr Varigonda, who was elected president for a three-year term last April, said CIA would represent individuals and groups with clean governance, transparency, accountability, and high ethical standards.
"CIA will achieve its objectives by working closely with the community for the outcomes we ought to have."
Its website says CIA is a secular organisation and is not aligned with any political party.
"Its members and leaders are entitled to have their political views. They can take part in the political processes on an individual basis.
"Their work has given them credibility in the community as well as in Australian national media on issues related to [the] Indian-Australian community and Australia-India relations.
"Council of Indian Australians believes in integration and participation of Indian Australians in the general Australian community."