Oregon Marathi Mandal
Maharashtra is one of the western states of India, where Marathi is the predominant and official language. As far as we know, Dr. Khankhoje was the first Maharashtrian from the state of Maharashtra*, India to come to the state of Oregon, USA in 1907. Since then and mostly after 1970, a community of people developed with common interests in the Marathi language, culture, traditions and arts from the state of Maharashtra (hereafter referred to as Maharashtrians). An informal association of Maharashtrians formed to cater to the social, cultural, religious and other needs of the people. "Portland Area Mandal" was formed in 1993, and then was expanded as "Oregon Marathi Mandal" (OMM) in 1995 to include the rest of Oregon.As the years passed, a need was felt to organize a structure and to define objectives of the Oregon Marathi Mandal (OMM), and hence to create a constitution. The 1997-98 executive committee decided to write formal constitution and the bylaws, and to register the OMM as non-profit organization with the state of Oregon. The members of the general body of the OMM approved the constitution and bylaws.