Dream that turned a TA shelter into advice centre

BY RACHEL GARDNER

THE opening by the Earl and Countess of Wessex of the £500,000 Sangat Centre yesterday marked the culmination of decades of hard work by Asians in Harrow.
The foundations of the newly-rebuilt Sangat Centre in Sancroft Road, Wealdstone, were laId 30 years ago by one man’s desire to help Asians living in Harrow.
In 1972 Kanti Nagda was banished from his home in Uganda and became one of a growing number of Asians living in Harrow.
With a few friends he set up the Anglo-Indian Circle, the first voluntary organisation to focus on understanding the cultural and religious needs of the Asian community.
As the circle’s numbers grew, the group bought the dilapidated Sangat Centre, a Second World War hut used as a shelter for the Territorial Army.
As manager of the centre, Mr Nagda and his colleague Anita Shah began providing much-needed welfare advice and help with benefits Issues, housing problems or immigration applications.
“We found that many Asian people did not know where to turn for help, because of problems with the language barrier or lack of knowledge about the English
legal process,” he said. "lt has been a struggle to find the money for the new centre and we wondered at times if we would succeed.
“We will be able to do so much more now we have more space and. better facilities. In the old building we were so cramped we didn’t have anywhere to speak to people privately.”
Kirti Lawjl, from Derby Avenue in Harrow Weald, turned to the centre for help after her sister’s application to visit from overseas was refused.
“Mr Nagda was so generous and kind,” she said. “He gave us so much of his time. He even spent a day In court for the hearing. Without the help from the Sangat Centre I would not have known which
process to go through to get my sister here.”
The centre’s application for a grant from the Millenniurn Commission was finally successful In July 2000 and work started on the building in November last year. The Asian community In Harrow raised £270,000, half of the rebuilding costs.
Since it was set-up in 1981 the centre has handled thousands of cases, with residents coming from as far as Nottingham to seek advice. Last year It had more than 1,800 visitors.
Now with Its new hail and plush information technology room, the centre will be the base for a computer training scheme and social activities, all now accessible to disabled people.

The Wessex chat to guests at the opening of the advice centre. 'The couple were very interested in what went on within the Asian community in Harrow,' said founder Kanti Nagda

Kanti Nagda, the driving force behind the centre