Florida communities celebrating the patriotic day include:

The Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) of Tampa Bay will hold India’s 79th Independence Day celebration on Sunday, Aug. 24, at India Cultural Center, 5511 Lynn Road, Tampa. Starting at 9 am, this free event attracting all age groups from the greater Tampa Bay region includes cultural programs, competitions in art, essay writing, patriotic dress, music, rangoli and cooking; food booths, clothing and jewelry stalls; India and U.S. flag hoisting; member organizations, including regional language exhibits. For details to register and participate, visit http://www.fiatampabay.org/ Contact Event Chair Jigisha Desai, Co-Chair Jai Chandran or FIA President Gayathri Ramaka at [email protected]

Also in Tampa Bay, MATA America Telugu Association will celebrate Independence Day from 10 a.m. Aug. 17 at Pride Elementary School, 10310 Lions Den Drive. Dance academies and community groups are encouraged to participate. For information, call Harikrishna N. at (813) 666-5067 or email [email protected]

SOUTH FLORIDA (FORT LAUDERDALE)
The Association of Indians in America (AIA) South Florida chapter will hold India Independence Day celebrations from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 17, at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 S.W. Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Admission is free, parking is $15. On the agenda is cultural entertainment of music and dance, Indian food and fashion. For details, email [email protected]

ORLANDO/OVIEDO
Central Florida Indian Cultural Association will celebrate Independence Day from 2 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 16, at Hagerty High School, 3225 Lockwood Blvd., Oviedo. Programs include a kids and adults patriotic figures parade and cultural dance performances. Entry is free. For information, call Prashant Saoji at (321) 460-0800.

FORT MYERS/NAPLES/ESTERO
India Association of Fort Myers will hold India Independence Day celebrations on Aug. 16 at the Clubhouse at Casa Del Lago, 7551 Sika Deer Way, Fort Myers from noon to 5 p.m. The event will showcase a journey through India, then and now. IAFM members are free, non-members $15. For information, email [email protected]

Also, India Association of Naples will celebrate Independence Day with a picnic from 9 a.m. until noon on Aug. 23 at Koreshan State Park, 3800 Corkscrew Road, Estero. There will be live cooking of South Indian breakfast items. The event is free for members and $10 for non-members. For information, email [email protected]

NEWBERRY/GAINESVILLE
India Cultural and Education Center (ICEC) Youth Group will celebrate India's Independence Day on Aug. 16 at Easton Center, 24880 N.W. 16th Ave., Newberry. For details, visit www.icec-florida.org

TALLAHASSEE
India Association of Tallahassee (IATLH) will hold its annual Utsav/India Day from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at Lawton Chiles High School, 7200 Lawton Chiles Lane, on Sunday, Aug. 17. There will be cultural performances, speech/storytelling and quiz/poster/reels and Indian fancy dress contests. For information, email [email protected]

KHAAS BAAT COMPLETES 21-YEAR ANNIVERSARY, LAUNCHES ANNUAL SPONSOR DRIVE

By NITISH S. RELE and SHEPHALI J. RELE

As we celebrate the 21-year Khaas Baat anniversary this month, we thank the dedicated volunteer columnists, past and present, for their valuable contributions, and our steadfast advertisers and well-wishers. It wouldn’t have been possible without their efforts and support. Also, we have strived to make a positive impact by keeping readers informed of cultural activities and events, prominent people and happenings within the community. If you feel Khaas Baat has succeeded in doing so, we would appreciate and need any support you can offer.

Toward that end, we are launching an annual sponsor drive to secure funds to cover production costs. Since its inception, Khaas Baat has been mailed free of cost to subscribers around the state with only a handful of paid subscribers in the past few years. We are proud that during the pandemic we continued publishing regularly. In fact, we haven’t skipped an issue since we began printing in August 2004. Also, since 2021, the entire print version of the newspaper can be found online. Since ad revenues alone do not help cover our monthly production costs (printing, design, mailing), we are in need of corporate or private sponsors. Your backing will help us continue to publish Khaas Baat as a high-quality newspaper proudly serving our community.

Please send your contribution via Zelle to (813) 758-1786 or you can PayPal ID to: [email protected] You may also send a check addressed to KHAAS BAAT and mailed to KHAAS BAAT, 8312 WINDSOR BLUFF DRIVE, TAMPA, FL 33647.

With our festival season under way, we request community leaders and organizers to email event details to [email protected] by the 20th of the month to be included in the following month’s issue. We always welcome your story ideas and suggestions on how we can best serve our community.

Khaas Baat is proud to be the ONE AND ONLY Sunshine State publication to offer comprehensive coverage of news and happenings in the Florida Indian community. Do follow us on twitter @khaasbaat and join us on Facebook