MARCH 29-APRIL 2: MAHA KUMABABHISHEKAM CELEBRATIONS, organized by Hindu Temple of Florida; chief guest is His Holiness Swamy Dayanand Saraswati of Rishikesh; Hindu Temple of Florida, 5509 Lynn Road, Tampa; call Dr. G.M. Ramappa at (727) 863-5474 or Manjul Derasari at (813) 977-6695 or click on www.hindutempleofflorida.org

APRIL 1: 2006 CULTURAL CAROUSEL BALL: organized by Patel Foundation for Global Understanding; the event will transport attendees all over the world while enjoying sumptuous ethnic cuisine from far-flung places as well as offering world music and dance; beneficiaries are more than a dozen Tampa Bay area charities; $300 charity guest, $350 special guest and $500 VIP guest tickets; Tampa Convention Center; call Morgan Rose at (813) 471-4380, Ext. 620 or check out www.global-understanding.org

APRIL 1: GUDI PADWA: organized by Mayaboli Melawa of Tampa Bay (MMTB); light musical concert and children�s camp; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; free for MMTB members, non-members pay $25 for adults and $15 for children over 5 years of age; Northlakes Recreation Center, 2640 North Lakeview Drive, Tampa; call (813) 264-3824.

APRIL 8-9: SATSANG ON SELF-REALIZATION WITH PUJYA DEEPAK DESAI IS CANCELED BECAUSE OF UNAVOIDABLE CIRCUMSTANCES; call Ramesh Patel at (813) 926-1143, Babu I. Patel at (813) 933-7197 or Dr. Mukesh Patel at (813) 969-1740.

APRIL 8: ANNUAL LIVE CE PROGRAM (includes med errors, HIV and medicare part D updates); organized by the Indo-American Pharmacists Association of Tampa Bay (IAPA); 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.; free for IAPA members, non-members pay $100 (includes breakfast and lunch) before March 15; Marriott WestShore, Tampa; call Linda Shah at (727) 641-3613 or Nila Patel at (813) 971-8081.

APRIL 12: INDOUS CHAMBER BUSINESS MEETING; speaker topic will be "How Businesses Can Avoid Common Recruiting Mistakes and Recruitment Secrets That Every Professional Should Know When Applying For Highly Sought After Positions � ", 6:30 p.m.; free admission and complimentary dinner; The Best Western Hotel, 1200 N. West Shore Blvd., Tampa, FL 33607; call (813) 282-3600 or click on www.indo-us.org

APRIL 15: SEVENTH ANNUAL BAISAKHI EVENT; organized by the Punjabi Association of America in Tampa; social hour begins at 6:30 p.m. followed by entertainment program at 7:30; university bhangra teams as well as two professional singers, Kulwinder Kali and Saber Koti, and comedians, Bhotu Shah and Kake Shah, to perform; Clearwater Fort Harrison Hotel; $100 VIP and $25 tickets will be available; for information, call Amrita Bedi at 352-597-8342.

APRIL 19-23: ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER�S �BOMBAY DREAMS�; 8 p.m. on April 19, 2 p.m. on April 22, and 2 and 7 p.m. on April 23; tickets are $37, $47, $57; 8 p.m. on all three days, April 20-22; tickets are $47, $57, $67; Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 N. McMullen Booth Road, Clearwater; for information, call (727) (727) 791-7400 or (800) 875-8682 or click on www.rutheckerdhall.com

ORLANDO

APRIL 1: EIGHTH ANNUAL MATA KI CHOWKI (DEVOTION TO DURGA MAA); 4:30 p.m.; devotees urged to donate generously; Hindu Society of Central Florida, 1994 Lake Drive, Casselberry; for information, call Kiran Arora at (407) 876-5772 or Dev Sharma at (407) 862-9920 or e-mail [email protected]; also, check out www.hindutempleorlando.org

APRIL 2: LECTURE BY SWAMI DAYANAND SARASWATI ON VISION OF THE UPANISHADS; sponsored by Hindu University of America; 6:30 to 8 p.m. followed by dinner; for information, call Braham Aggarwal at (407) 529-7736 or Abhinav Dwivedi at (813) 991-0807 or click on www.hindutempleorlando.org

APRIL 8: UGADI VEDUKULU; sponsors are Telugu Association of Greater Orlando (TAGO); cultural festival, music, folk dances, skits and raffle prizes; dinner; 4.30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; small fee; Assembly Hall, Hindu Temple of Casselbery; call Jhansi L. Dommeti at (407) 858-0563, e-mail [email protected] or click on www.orlandotelegu.org

THROUGH APRIL 30: �SARI: SIX YARDS OF MAGIC;� organized by the Asian Cultural Association; Maitland Art Center, 321 W. Packwood Ave., Maitland; for information, call Jasbir Mehta at (407) 333-3667 or click on www.aca-florida.org

GAINESVILLE

MARCH 31-APRIL 2: HINDU STUDENTS COUNCIL SE REGIONAL CONFERENCE; organized by University of Florida HSC (Gainesville); keynote speaker will be Swami Dayanand Saraswati; open to all college and high school students (all can attend Swamiji�s talk); $45; donations to cover costs for students may be sent to HSC treasurer Parth Joshi, 4415 S.W. 34th St., Apt #105, Gainesville, FL 32608; checks can be addressed to UF with HSC Conference in the memo; for more information, visit http://grove.ufl.edu/~hsc/ or call Jaya Goswami at (352) 871-3803.

JACKSONVILLE

APRIL 15: UGADI CELEBRATION; organized by by Kannada Association of Jacksonville; for information, call (904) 998-0148.

APRIL 23: TAMIL NEW YEAR DAY, celebrated by Jacksonville Thamizh Manram; for details, call (904) 519-5558.

APRIL 29: INDIA FEST: organized by Hindu Society of Northeast Florida (HSNEF); display of art, culture, fun and food; also free health fair and visa camp offered; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; free; Hindu Society Grounds, 714 Park Ave., Orange Park; call (904) 269-1155 or click on www.jaxhindutemple.org

MIAMI AND SURROUNDING AREA

THROUGH APRIL 6: �THE LAST JEWS OF COCHIN, INDIA�: PHOTO EXHIBIT; 58 museum-quality prints that appeared in �Kashrut, Caste and Kabbalah: The Religious Life of the Jews of Cochin,� a book written by Miami-based freelance photographer and writer Ellen Goldberg with her husband Dr. Nathan Katz; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday; Alper Jewish Community Center, 11155 S.W. 112th Ave., Miami; for information, call (305) 271-9000, ext. 268.

APRIL 8-9: RAM NAVAMI; 10 a.m. Saturday for 24 hours into Sunday for havan and cultural program, South Florida Hindu Temple, 13010 W. Griffin Road, Southwest Ranches, FL 33330; call (954) 438-3675, e-mail [email protected] or click on www.sfht.org

APRIL 15: THIRD ANNUAL PUNJABI FEST; organized by the Punjabi Association of South Florida; $1 for park entrance, $1 for event entrance; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tradewinds Park, 3600 W. Sample Road, Coconut Creek; for information, call (561) 706-2474 or click on www.punjabiassociation.com

To submit an upcoming event in your city, e-mail [email protected]

VIDYALAYA AT HINDU TEMPLE OF FLORIDA: Every Sunday except on public holiday for first-graders to 12th grade; 12:15 to 2:45 p.m.; subjects include Mathematics and English; $25 registration fee per academic year, $125 per fall or winter term; Hindu Temple is at 5509 Lynn Road in Tampa; for more information on Vidyalaya, call Manish Kharod at (813) 963-0616 or Ravi Narayanan at (813) 961-6120.

PANDIT JASRAJ SCHOOL OF MUSIC FOUNDATION: Vocal and harmonium classes by Pandit Rattan Mohan Sharma and Radha Raman Kirtane; table classes (group and special) by Aditya Narayan Banerjee (www.adityabanerjee.com); classes held at different locations depending on the day; for more information, call (813) 960-0176 or e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: www.pjsmf.com

CHHANDAYAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC: Sitar, vocal and table classes by Hidayat Khan (son of sitar maestro Vilayat Khan), Mithali Bhaumik Banerjee (vocal) and Pandit Sameer Chatterjee (tabla); classes are held in Clearwater; for more information, call Satya Challa at (727) 712-1233 or Viji Reddy at (727) 934-7721 or e-mail [email protected]

BALVIHAR BY CHINMAYA MISSION OF TAMPA BAY: Sundays from 3 to 4:30 pm. at Hindu Temple of Florida; Saturday from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in St. Petersburg; ages 5 through teen; children learn about Hindu religion, culture and festivals through stories from the Ramayana and Bhagwad Gita; fees are $75 per year; additional $50 per year for each sibling; for more information on BalVihar, call Laxmi Sastry at (813) 948-3590 or e-mail [email protected]

SANKARA CULTURAL ALLIANCE OF FLORIDA: classes in Carnatic percussion instruments mridangam, ghatam, kanjira and morsingh by Ghatam Vidwan Sri T.H. Subash Chandran (brother of T.H. "Vikku" Vinayakram) and N. Ganesh Kumar (www.ganeshkanjira.com); classes held in Tampa and at the Hindu Temple of Florida; for more information, call Kala Gangadharan at (813) 979-4598 or Jyothi Venkatachalam at (813) 977-9039 or (813) 404-7899 or e-mail [email protected] or [email protected]

TAMPA SHAKHA/BALAGOKULAM: free activities for all ages, including yoga, games, field trips, and shlokas for children and adults; 10:30 a.m. Saturdays, Hindu Temple of Florida, Lynn Road; for more information, call Vijay Singh at (813) 920-7494.

ORLANDO

JAIN VISHWA BHARATI U.S.A.: Every Saturday classes are held on Pranayam, Yogic Exercise and Relaxation, 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.; donations accepted; JVB Center, 7819 Lillwill Ave., Orlando; for information, call (407) 852-8694 or e-mail [email protected]

TAMPA/ST. PETERSBURG/CLEARWATER

HINDU TEMPLE OF FLORIDA: 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday; 5509 Lynn Road, Tampa, FL 33624; (813) 962-6890.

SHIV MANDIR: 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday; officiating priests are Pandit Balraj Maharaj and Ram Maharaj; 2001 N. Howard Ave., Tampa, FL 33607; (813) 907-6311.

DADA BHAGWAN�S GROUP OF TAMPA BAY: Satsang every Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m.; everyone is invited; call Ramesh Patel at (813) 926-1143 or Mukesh Patel at (813) 969-1740.

JAIN SOCIETY OF TAMPA BAY: Monthly bhavna from 3 to 5 p.m. every fourth Sunday; also, non-Jains can take Dev Darshan of statues made of marbles by sculpture-artist from Rajasthan; 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 5 to 7 p.m.; both events at Days Inn hotel at Fletcher Avenue and Interstate 75; call Kini Shah at (813) 503-0715 or Pradeep Bavishi at (727) 525-5400.

VISHNU MANDIR: 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday only, discourse by Pandit Vishnu Sharma; 5303 Lynn Road, Tampa, FL 33624; (813) 654-2551.

SANATAN MANDIR: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sunday; 311 East Palm Ave., Tampa, FL 33602; (813) 221-4482.

SHRI SARASWATI DEVI MANDIR: 9:30 a.m. to noon Sunday only; officiating priest is Pandit Purnanan Sharma; 16220 Livingston Avenue, Lutz, FL 33559; (813) 264-1539.

SHRI RADHA-KRISHNA MANDIR: daily morning arotik at 7 followed by Srimad-Bhavatavam class; 6 p.m. Sunday and 7 p.m. Wednesday Bhagavad-Gita class followed by prasadam; 14610 N. 17th St., Tampa; (813) 971-6474 or click on www.iskcontampa.com

BAPS SHRI SWAMINARAYAN MANDIR: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily; darshan is closed between noon and 4 p.m. but reopens at 4 p.m.; 9226 E. Fowler Ave. (between Interstate 75 and U.S. 301); (813) 986-5473.

MANAV DHARMA ASHRAM: sumiran is from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. first Thursday of every month; satsang is 5 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, followed by dinner; yoga classes begin at 7:30 a.m. Saturday; bhajans are 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. every third Sunday; 7520 Caron Road, Tampa, FL 33615; call the ashram at (813) 889-7155, Himatlal Parekh at (813) 969-1661 or Ashok Modh at (813) 935-3439.

SHREE YAMUNA PREETI SEVA SAMAJ: Pushtimargiya Satsang Mandal invites Vaishnavs of Tampa Bay area to weekend Satsang sabhas and kirtans; 1340 Robin Road S., St. Petersburg, FL 33707; call Smitabein Patel at (813) 961-3816 or Himatlal Parekh at (813) 969-1661.

ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF TAMPA BAY AREA MOSQUE: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily; 7326 E. Sligh Ave., Tampa, FL 33601; Tel: (813) 628-0007.

GURDWARA: 8 a.m. till 8 p.m. daily; 15302 Morris Bridge Road, Thonotosassa, FL 33592; (813) 986-6205.

ORLANDO AREA

HINDU SOCIETY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA: 8:30 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; 1994 Lake Drive, Casselberry, FL 32707; (407) 699-5277.

GURDWARA, SIKH SOCIETY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA: 11:30 A.M. to 1 p.m. Sunday; 2527 W. Aloma Ave. (west State Road 426), Oviedo; (407) 805-0404.

MASJID AL-RAHIM, ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA, WEST ORLANDO: five times daily prayers and pray on Friday; 4962 Old Winter Garden Road, Orlando, FL 32811; (407) 523-7882.

SARASWATI DEVI MANDIR/INDO CARIBBEAN CENTER: Sunday service is from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.; all special days observed with worship; 1453 N. Pine Hills Road, Orlando, FL 32808; for information, call (407) 522-1988 or click on www.saraswatidevimandir.com

SHRI SHIVDHAM HINDU TEMPLE AND BRAHMRISHI YOGASHRAM: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily; 460 O�Berry Hoover Road, Orlando, FL 32825; (407) 380-2661 or e-mail [email protected]

SANTOSHI MA TEMPLE: bhajan and aarti first Friday of every month; 10900 Park Ridge Gotha Road, Windermere, FL 34786; (407) 996-2830.

SHRI LAXMINARAYAN MANDIR: 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sunday; 269 N. Klondike Ave., Pine Hills, FL 32811; (407) 877-7916.

SHRI SWAMINARAYAN MANDIR (BAPS): 1325 W. Oak Ridge Road, Orlando, FL 32809; (407) 857-0091.

POINCIANA HINDU MANDIR INC.: 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. each Sunday and on special festivals; 3999 Monterey Road, Kissimmee, FL 34758; (407) 873-2679.

ALACHUA (ALACHUA COUNTY)

ISKCON OF ALACHUA (International Society for Krishna Consciousness): founder is A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, P.O. Box 819, Alachua, FL 32616; (386) 462-2017.

INVERNESS (CITRUS COUNTY)

SHIRDI SAI CENTER: 4707 Pleasant Grove Road, Inverness, FL 34452; for timings of the center and any other information, call (352) 860-2181 or e-mail [email protected]

JACKSONVILLE/ORANGE PARK

HINDU SOCIETY OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA (HSNEF): 714 Park Ave., Orange Park; for information, call (904) 269-1155 or click on www.jaxhindutemple.org

SOUTH FLORIDA (MIAMI AREA)

SOUTH FLORIDA HINDU TEMPLE: 13010 W. Griffin Road, Southwest Ranches, FL 33330; for timings and classes at the temple, call (954) 438-3675 or e-mail [email protected]

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