SIGNIFICANT DATES
MARCH 7: MAHA SHIVRATRI
MARCH 21: NAVROZ (PARSI NEW YEAR)
MARCH 23: HOLI
EVENTS
FOR HOLI EVENTS, SEE FLORIDA CELEBRATES HOLI
TAMPA/CLEARWATER/ST. PETERSBURG
MARCH 2: “Desi Club;” organized by India Cultural Center, 5511 Lynn Road, Tampa: 1 to 4 p.m.; table tennis, carom, card games, chess, etc.; no membership, no minimum age requirement; free; for information, call Ram Jakhotia at (813) 962-4172.
MARCH 4: 14th ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT; organized by INDOUS Chamber of Commerce; Wentworth Golf & Country Club, 2990 Wentworth Way, Tarpon Springs; lunch/registration at noon followed by shotgun start at 1 p.m.; $150 per player or $500 per foursome; sponsorships available; for information, call Kamlesh at (813) 841-9216, Jal Irani at (813) 451-8229 or visit www.indo-us.org
MARCH 6: “SLEEP FOR HEALTH;” free workshop presented by PEHCHAAN; Carrollwood Cultural Center, 4537 Lowell Road, Tampa; 1:30 registration and workshop from 2 to 4 p.m.; seating limited to 50 people; presenter is Dr. Natarajan Subramanian, director of the Sleep Lab at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Tampa; RSVP [email protected] or call Manjusha Naik at (813) 842-8563.
MARCH 7: MAHA SHIVRATRI; starts at 5 p.m.; Sanatan Mandir, 311 E. Palm Ave., Tampa; for information, call (813) 221-4482.
MARCH 7: MAHA SHIVRATRI; Ambaji Mandir, 10991 58th St., in Pinellas Park; temple open all day; for information, call (727) 388-6685 or visit www.ambajimandir.org
MARCH 7: MAHA SHIVRATRI; Laxmi Narayan Mandir, 4615 George Road, Tampa; temple open all day; for information, call (813) 444-9786 or visit www.srilaxminarayanmandir.org
MARCH 7: MAHA SHIVRATRI; Shree Raam Mandir, 7411 E. Comanche Ave., Tampa; from 7 p.m.; Shiva Abhishekam; for information, call Nick at (813) 334-0443.
MARCH 7: MAHASHIVRATRI; organized by Hindu Temple of Florida, 5509 Lynn Road, Tampa; Lord Shiva Abhishekham at 7 p.m.; for information, call the mandir at (813) 962-6890 or visit www.htfl.org
MARCH 12: Women’s Forum Event Celebrating International Women’s Day; organized by Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay; 3 to 6 p.m.; Al Lopez Park, 4510 N. Himes Ave., Tampa (shelter # TBA); highlights include Zumba session, introduction to SUJOK Therapy, meet, mingle; for information, call Jyoti Gandhi at (727) 534-3767 or Jigisha Desai at (813) 731-7747.
MARCH 12-13: “NATYANJALI: SPECIAL LECTURE;” University of Memphis Physics Professor Dr. Narahari Achar to speak on “Determining the date of Lord Sri Krishna;” Hindu Temple of Florida community hall, 5509 Lynn Road, Tampa; 7 to 8:30 p.m.; 2 to 3:30 p.m. on March 13 in Vidyalaya Classroom No. 1; free admission; for information, call Indira Sastry at (813) 855-7884 or visit www.htfl.org
MARCH 16: ICC SENIORS GET-TO-GATHER; India Cultural Center, 5511 Lynn Road, Tampa; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; free seminar, lunch and entertainment; no minimum age requirement; for information or ride, call John Adhia at (813) 784-1132 or Ram Jakhotia at (813) 962-4172.
MARCH 16: BUSINESS & NETWORKING EVENT; organized by INDO-US Chamber of Commerce; guest speakers are Pat Bhava, creator of the PikMyKid App; and Ram Kancharla, Vice President of Planning and Development for Port Tampa Bay; free; 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.; HCI Ballroom, 5300 W. Cypress St., Tampa; no RSVP required; for information, visit www.indo-us.org
MARCH 19: EKAL FUNDRAISER; organized by Ekal Vidyalaya; India Cultural Center, 5511 Lynn Road, Tampa; dinner will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. followed by the musical program; tickets are $25 and include dinner and can be purchased at www.ekal.org Ekal 2015 and 2016 donors get four comp tickets; for information, call Dr. Umesh Choudhry at (727) 507-0584.
MARCH 20: A PROGRAM FOR DEVELOPING YOUTH RESILIENCE; presented by PEHCHAAN; free introductory information session; Jimmie B. Keel Library, 2902 W. Bearss Ave., Tampa; 3 to 4 p.m.; open to parents and kids ages 12-18 years of age; seating limited to 40; RSVP at [email protected] or Manjusha Naik at (813) 842- 8563.
MARCH 27: HOLI CELEBRATION MUSIC AND DANCE CONCERT; presented by Shruti Foundation; 4 to 7 p.m.; Friday Morning Musicale Auditorium, 809 W. Horatio St. Tampa; semi-classical/folk singing by Sangeeta Lahiri (Mumbai), kathak dancer Sayali Goswami (California) Jay Gandhi on bansuri flute (New York) and Shankhachur Lahiri on tabla; for information, call (813) 549-9288 or visit www.theshrutifoundation.org
MARCH 27: Senior Event; organized by Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay; Vyo Center, 5809 Lynn Road, Tampa; 4 to 7 p.m.; for information, call Jigisha Desai at (813) 731-7747.
MARCH 31-APRIL 3: Inner Engineering with Shambhavi Kriya; to be held in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota; Inner Engineering addresses aspects of human wellbeing – from body, mind and emotion to the fundamental life energy within us; for details or to register, visit www.InnerEngineering.com/Live or call (813) 413-1661.
APRIL 3: “UMAR CHHE ANTIQUE PAN DIL CHHE ROMANTIC;” Gujarati comedy play organized by Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay; starring TV actors Apara Mehta and Firoz Bhagat; 6 p.m.; India Cultural Center, 5511 Lynn Road, Tampa; for information, call Jigisha Desai at (813) 731-7747 or visit www.gujaratisamaj.org
APRIL 6: “Desi Club;” organized by India Cultural Center, 5511 Lynn Road, Tampa: 1 to 4 p.m.; table tennis, carom, card games, chess, etc.; no membership, no minimum age requirement; free; for information, call Ram Jakhotia at (813) 962-4172.
APRIL 7: TABLA MAESTRO ZAKIR HUSSAIN CONCERT & THE MASTERS OF PERCUSSION; Straz Center, Ferguson Hall, 1010 N. W.C.MacInnes Place, Tampa; 7:30 p.m.; tickets starting at $22 can be purchased at www.strazcenter.org; for information, call (813) 229-7827.
APRIL 9: VAISAKHI MELA 2016; presented by the Punjabi Association; India Cultural Center, 5511 Lynn Road, Tampa; 6:30 p.m.; $50 per person; for tickets and other information, call 1-800-838-3006.
APRIL 17: SENIOR EVENT; organized by Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay; Vyo Center, 5809 Lynn Road, Tampa; 4 to 7 p.m.; for information, call Jigisha Desai at (813) 731-7747.
LAKELAND/WINTER HAVEN
MARCH 18: EKAL FUNDRAISER; organized by Ekal Vidyalaya; Shri Swaminarayan Temple hall, 2793 New Tampa Highway; dinner will be at 8 p.m. followed by the musical evening; entry and dinner are free with donation; for details, call Nilesh K. Patel at (863) 853-9315.
ORLANDO/CASSELBERRY
MARCH 5-6: 3rd SUVARNA D. SHAH GUJARATI POETRY FESTIVAL; Hotel Clarion and Tabla restaurant, 5827 Caravan Court, Orlando; for details, call Dr. Dinesh O. Shah at (352) 871-4993.
MARCH 6: HSCF NEW AGE GROUP 11TH ANNIVERSARY; Hindu Society of Central Florida community hall, 1994 Lake Drive, Casselberry; 5 p.m.; banquet dinner and entertainment; for information, email [email protected]
MARCH 7: MAHASHIVRATRI; Hindu Society of Central Florida, 1994 Lake Drive, Casselberry; celebrations from 8 a.m. till midnight for information, call the temple at (407) 699-5277 or visit www.hindutempleorlando.org
MARCH 5-7: MAHA SHIV RATRI PROGRAMS; Shri Shiv Dham Hindu Temple and Yogashram, 460 O’Berry Hoover Road, Orlando; for information, call (407) 380-2661, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.orlandotemple.com
MARCH 12: FREE MEDITATION BEGINS; Saturday mornings from 9 to 10; Hindu Society of Central Florida hall, 1994 Lake Drive, Casselberry; for information, call Dr. Aravind Pillai at (407) 718-8733.
MARCH 19: INDIA FAMILY FUN NIGHT; organized by Indian American Chamber of Commerce and Orlando Solar Bears; game between Solar Bears and Adirondack Thunder; Amway Center, 400 W. Church St.; 7 p.m.; for information, visit www.iaccorlando.com or email [email protected]
MARCH 20: EKAL FUNDRAISER; organized by Ekal Vidyalaya; Oviedo High School Auditorium, 601 King St., Oviedo; 5 p.m.; entry and dinner are free; for information, call Suresh Gupta at (407) 619-1500.
APRIL 2: FESTIVAL OF INDIA; organized by Hindu Society of Central Florida, 1994 Lake Drive, Casselberry; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; on temple grounds and the cultural program in the community hall; free admission and $5 parking fee; to reserve a stall/booth or register for cultural programs, visit www.hindutempleorlando.org; for questions, call the mandir at (407) 699-5277 or Prashant Saoji at (321) 460-0800.
APRIL 2: VISHAL AND SHEKHAR MUSIC CONCERT; presented by Krish Patel and Satya Shaw; 8 p.m.; Orange County Convention Center, Linda Chapin Theater, 9800 International Drive, Orlando; tickets starting at $39 can be purchased at www.bollywoodeventsfl.com; for information, call Patel at (407) 454-3334 or Satya Shaw at (813) 842-0345.
Photo by Susana Millman
APRIL 9: TABLA MAESTRO ZAKIR HUSSAIN CONCERT & THE MASTERS OF PERCUSSION; Bob Carr Theater, 401 W. Livingston St., Orlando; 7:30 p.m.; tickets starting at $30 can be purchased at www.drphillipscenter.org
GAINESVILLE
APRIL 9: INDIA FEST & HEALTH FAIR; presented by the India Cultural & Education Center; health fair will be 9 a.m. to noon and the festival will be 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Santa Fe Community College, Gymnasium (Building V), 3000 N.W. 83rd St., Gainesville; Indian food, dance, art, music, jewelry, clothing, henna; for information, call (810) 516-3072 or e-mail [email protected]
MELBOURNE/COCOA (SPACE COAST)
MARCH 12-13: INDIAFEST; presented by Manav Mandir; Wickham Pavilion, 3845 N. Wickham Road, Melbourne; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday; cultural and fashion shows, music, henna, arts and crafts, yoga demonstration, Indian cooking demo; $5 for adults, $2 for children under age 12 and kids under 5 are free; for information, call Yasmin Majeed at (321) 720-8590 or visit www.indiafestbrevard.org
JACKSONVILLE
MARCH 7: MAHA SHIVRATRI; Hindu Society of North East Florida, 4968 Greenland Road, Jacksonville; 6 p.m. to 1 a.m.; for information, call (904) 268-7630.
SOUTH FLORIDA (LAUDERHILL/WEST PALM BEACH/LAKE WORTH)
MARCH 4-6: CRICKET LEGENDS WEEKEND; organized by the American Cricket Federation and Lawrence Rowe Foundation; VIP Meet & Greet on March 4, Gala Dinner with Legends on March 5, and two T20 matches on March 6; Central Broward Regional Park and Stadium, 3700 N.W. 11th Place, Lauderhill; limited VIP packages available; for information, Dr. Mahesh G. Allam at (863) 207-3056 or email [email protected]
MARCH 12: ENCHANTING SOUND OF SITAR; organized by Association of Performing Arts of India; sitar player Manju Bhatt Mehta; 6 to 8:30 p.m.; Broward County Main Library auditorium,100 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale; $30, $40 for VIP and $20 for students with current ID; for information, call APAI at (954) 885-1466 or visit www.apaiart.com
MARCH 26-27: ASIAN TRADE, FOOD FAIR AND CULTURAL SHOW; presented by Bangladesh Association of Florida; South Florida Fairgrounds (Expo Center), 9067 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach; $10 per person per day; for information, call (561) 876-2255 or visit www.asianfair.org
APRIL 8: TABLA MAESTRO ZAKIR HUSSAIN CONCERT & THE MASTERS OF PERCUSSION; presented by Duncan Theatre in partnership with Association of Performing Arts of India; Duncan Theatre, 4200 S. Congress Ave., Lake Worth; 8 p.m.; $35 general tickets and $75 VIP can be purchased at www.duncantheatre.org; for information, call (561) 868-3309.
Event submissions are free, e-mail information to [email protected] by the 20th.
Disclaimer: Event details are subject to change. Please check with local organizers.