About Anuja SA

Anuja SA Inc. is a non-profit organization created to promote the Sister-City alliance between San Antonio and Chennai, India. Anuja SA’s mission is to foster relationships between the two cities in various facets including Arts and Culture, Medicine, Education, Business and Commerce, and Sports and Recreation. Anuja SA also works closely with the City of San Antonio’s International Relations Office, the department responsible for all of San Antonio’s Sister-City relationships.

Our Pillars

Arts and Culture:
Arts and cultural programs are some of the most visible and engaging of Anuja SA’s activities. These exchanges take many different forms such as musical, dance, and theater performances, art exhibits, and cultural festivals. Anuja SA also provides Indian cultural peformances to local festivals, schools, corporate events, etc. upon request. Anuja SA’s Diwali SA festival is the largest city sanctioned and city sponsored Diwali festival in the United States.

Business and Commerce:
In addition to leading trade delegations to India and bringing tourism dollars to San Antonio, Anuja SA creates connections with international municipal officials, institutions, and businesses. These connections build trust, access, and expertise that help local businesses find new opportunities and resources. Anuja SA also assists San Antonio’s Economic Development Foundation enage with Indian business owners who may be interested in investing in or opening a business or branch office in San Antonio.

Education:
Providing educational exchange opportunities to youth and young adults is a critical part of any Sister City program. Anuja SA engages in exchanges between San Antonio and Chennai from the K-12 to the college level through the development of collaborative and mutually beneficial programs which serve to enhance the intellectual life and cultural development of the youth in San Antonio and Chennai. These exchanges take the form of memoranda of understanding between colleges and universities, hosting student exchange groups from India, as well as providing assistance on a case by case basis. Anuja SA raised a significant portion of the funds to build a school for children who were displaced during the floods in Chennai in 2015.

Sports and Recreation:
Sports Diplomacy has emerged as an integral part of efforts to build ever-strengthening relations between the United States and other nations. Sports diplomacy uses the universal passion for sports as a way to transcend linguistic and sociocultural differences and bring people together. Anuja SA facilitates exchange opportunities between San Antonio and Chennai in basketball, cricket, etc. In 2011, Anuja SA arranged to have Indian basketball player, Geethu Anna Jose, tryout for the San Antonio Silver Stars.

Medicine:
Medical diplomacy is another critical part of Anuja SA’s Sister City program. Medical exchanges between San Antonio and Chennai take the form of memoranda of understanding between physicians’ associations in San Antonio and Chennai, presentations of CMEs in Chennai and San Antonio, research sharing, hospital visits, etc. Anuja SA also leads physician groups to India on medical delegations.