EKTA is the Indian Students Association of University of Maryland, Baltimore County. It is an organization, comprising of over 100 graduate students spanning the entire campus. Its main aim is to provide an cultural identity to the students and bring out an awareness about India, in the region of Baltimore, USA. It conducts two main festivals - Garbha (a Dance festival showcasing ancient Dance school of Gujarat) and Diwali (a festival of lights, mythologically intended to recognize the victory of Lord Krishna over Narahasura and the return of Lord Ram from the forest). The organization also provides support for new students coming to the campus and also works closely with AID (Association of India's Development) a country-wide organization that organizes events to support projects in India. UMBC's wing of AID alone supprts more than Rs.300,000 worth of projects every year. The progress of the projects (like teaching underprievileged children) is closely monitored and evaluated.
