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SIGNIFICANT DATES

DEC. 18: HAJJ BEGINS
DEC. 20: EID AL-ADHA
DEC. 23: DATTATREYA JAYANTI

Other Area Events

By NITISH S. RELE - editor@khaasbaat.com

Here’s a roundup of the Festival of Lights celebrations by Indian American communities throughout Florida.

TAMPA/ST. PETERSBURG/CLEARWATER

DEC. 1: COMMUNITY HEALTH FAIR 2007; organized by Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay and Peace on Earth; 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.; India Cultural Center, 5511 Lynn Road, Tampa; free screenings for cardiovascular disease, prostate cancer, diabetes and breast cancer education, as well as eye, hearing, circulation and bone density test for osteoporosis; physicians will be available to answer personal health related questions; for information, visit www.poefoundation.net

DEC. 19: ICC INDIAN SENIOR GET-TOGETHER, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at ICC, Lotus Hall, 5511 Lynn Road, Tampa; lunch served; free for seniors and everyone else is invited; for information or a ride, call John Adhia at (813) 784-6930 or Ram Jakhotia at (813) 962-4172.

DEC. 25: MONTHLY MASS AND CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS: 4:30 p.m. Corpus Christi Catholic Church, 9715 N. 56th St., Tampa; for information, call (813) 719-0303.

DEC. 29: CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION AND ANNUAL GENERAL BODY MEETING; organized by Malayalee Association of Central Florida; 6 p.m. Burnett Middle School, 1010 N. Kingsway Road, Seffner; for information, call (813) 719-0303.

ORLANDO

DEC. 15: HINDU SOCIETY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA NEW AGE (SENIORS GROUP) FUN PARTY; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hindu Society of Central Florida Community Hall, 1994 Lake Drive, Casselberry; free; games such as bingo (tambola), musical chairs, fancy dress/costume dress competition and surprises and prizes; members urged to come in fancy/costume dress; for information, call Madan Arora at (407) 971-9259.

DEC. 24-30: CHINMAYA FAMILY SPIRITUAL CAMP; presented by Chinmaya Mission Orlando; conducted by H.H. Swami Tejomayananda; Wyndham Resort Orlando; Sand Lake Road and Interstate 4; for information, call (407) 963-6301 or click on www.chinmayaorlando.org

DEC. 31: NEW YEAR’S PARTY: charity event to benefit GP Hospital (Bhandu) Ashram, Santram Mandir and Muni Seva Ashram (Goraj) in India; 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.; Orlando Airport Hotel (Clarion); $30 per person and children 10 years of age and under are free; ACE DJ; for tickets, call Himanshu Bhatt at (407) 929-4311 or Tino Patel at (407) 579-5050.

JACKSONVILLE

DEC. 8: CHILDREN’S TALENT DAY; organized by JaxRaaga; 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Pablo Creek Library on Beach Boulevard, Jacksonville; children with talent in Indian classical music (vocal or instrumental) are urged to participate; for information, call (904) 997-8682.

DEC. 20: GITA JAYANTHI AND VAIKUNDA EKAADASI; 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Hindu Society of North East Florida (HSNEF), 4968 GreenLand Road, Jacksonville; for information, call (904) 268-7630.

DEC. 23: SHRI DATTATREYA JAYANTHI; 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Hindu Society of North East Florida (HSNEF), 4968 GreenLand Road, Jacksonville; for information, call (904) 268-7630.

JAN. 1, 2008: MAHA GANAPATHI SPECIAL ABHISHEK AND SHRINGAR; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; also, Shri Balaji Kalyanotsavam from 5 to 7 p.m.; Hindu Society of North East Florida (HSNEF), 4968 GreenLand Road, Jacksonville; for information, call (904) 268-7630.

MELBOURNE (SPACE COAST AREA)

DEC. 9: ANNUAL FUNCTION; organized by Indian Association of the Space Coast (IASC) ; Holiday Inn Express & Space Coast Convention Center, 301 Tucker Lane, Cocoa; for information, call Kumkum Pandit at (321) 761-0284 or check out www.iascbrevard.com

SOUTH FLORIDA (FORT LAUDERDALE/MIAMI AREA)

DEC. 14: SA RE GA MA PA CHALLENGE; Woodlands Indian Cuisine presents singers Mauli, Raja, Aneek, Amanat Ali, Sumedha, Pooja, Junaid; 8 p.m.; $45, $55, $65, $80, $100, VIP; Coral Springs Center of Arts, 2855 Coral Springs Drive; for information, call Prasad at Woodlands at (954) 749-3221 or (407) 595-3205 or e-mail saregamapaflorida@hotmail.com



CLASSES

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: pjsmftampabay@hotmail.com; 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 sameer@tabla.org

BALVIHAR BY CHINMAYA MISSION OF TAMPA BAY: Sundays from 10am to noon in Tampa; ages 5 through teen; children learn about Hindu religion, culture and festivals through stories from the Ramayana and Bhagwad Gita; for more information on location and fees visit www.chinmayaprasad.org or call Laxmi Sastry at (813) 948-3590 or e-mail nsastry@tampabay.rr.com

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 jvenkata@yahoo.com or ganesh@ganeshkanjira.com

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.

VEDANTA CENTER IN ST. PETERSBURG The Vedanta Center of St. Petersburg, 216 19th Ave. S.E. (first house to the right on crossing Bay Street on 19th Avenue Southeast) holds lectures on Vedanta every Sunday from 11 a.m. to noon by Swami Yuktamanandaji. There also is a Gita class on Wednesday from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m., followed by meditation at the center, which is part of the Ramakrishna Mission and Math of India. For more information, call (727) 896-9840 or click on www.vedantaflorida.com

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 jainvishwa@hotmail.com

SOUTH FLORIDA

CHINMAYA MISSION: Classes and activities for adults and children from kindergarten to grade 12 on Hindu culture, based on the universal philosophy of Advaita Vedanta (Oneness); times and days vary; for information, e-mail studygroup@CMmiami.org


PLACES OF WORSHIP

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.

CHURCH OF SOUTH INDIA (CSI) CONGREGATION OF FLORIDA: Worship services at 10 a.m. every Sunday at Springhill Missionary Baptist Church, 8119 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Tampa, FL 33619; for information, call John Philip at (813) 986-6844 or Daniel Cherian (Anand) at (813) 985-9890 or click on www.csichurchflorida.org

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 ymcco@yahoo.com

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

SHRI DEVI BHAVAN: 9 A.M. TO 11:30 a.m. every Sunday; Pandit is Eshwar Persaud; 6206 W. Amelia St., Orlando, FL 32835; (407) 822-8057.

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.

LAKELAND(POLK COUNTY)

SHRI SWAMINARAYAN TEMPLE: 2793 New Tampa Highway, Lakeland, FL 33815; (863) 682-8260.

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 shirdi@gowebco.com

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 info@sfht.org

SHIVA VISHNU TEMPLE OF SOUTH FLORIDA: 5661 Dykes Road, Southwest Ranches, FL 33331; 9 a.m. to noon and 6 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and holidays; call (954) 689-0471 or click on www.shivavishnu.org

SHIVA MANDIR: 3000 N.W. 29TH Ave., Oakland Park Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309; for information, call (954) 735-3560 or click on www.fhosm.com

ISLAMIC CENTER OF BOCA RATON: 3100 N.W. FIFTH AVE., Boca Raton, FL 33431; for information, call (561) 395-7221 or click on www.icbr.org

SIKH GURUDWARA: 1600 S.W. 60th St., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33331; for information, call (954) 680-0221.


Send information on upcoming events to Nitish S. Rele, Khaas Baat, 18313 Cypress Stand Circle, Tampa, FL 33647
or e-mail editor@khaasbaat.com
Deadline for submissions is the 18th of each month to be included in the next issue.




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