Although the earliest Indian immigrants came to Memphis in the 1950s, the Indian community here grew to about 250 families between the 70s and 80s. With the formation of IAM and TAM in 1980 the people of Mid South were exposed to Indian culture. Members of the Indian community organized their religious and cultural activities in the community halls of local malls, church basements, and public school auditoriums. The need for a place of worship and gathering became a popular topic in these social events, and was largely considered an unrealizable dream. It indeed remained so for a long time. In 1981, Mr Vijay Rawtani, then president of IAM called for an exploratory meeting at the University of Memphis, and at this meeting, a consensus was reached that there was a need for a temple and community center. The idea was further explored by an informal committee of interested community members under the leadership of Dr. A. P. Mahesh Kumar. This committee, with the help of Mr. Marvin Ratner—a local attorney—drew the bylaws and incorporated India Cultural Center and Temple as a non-profit religious organization in the state of Tennessee. A bank account was opened with seed money of $250 donated by community members.
