FEB. 8: VASANT PANCHAMI
Events
TAMPA/ST. PETERSBURG/CLEARWATERFEB. 5: BOOK DISCUSSION/SIGNING; by Monica Pradhan, author of “The Hindi-Bindi Club” (the book is a tale about meaningful but complex relationships between mothers and daughters, as well as the struggles that first-generation Indian-American children experience with their immigrant parents); presented by Pehchaan; 2 to 4 p.m.; registration begins at 1:30 p.m.; Jimmie B. Keel Library, 2902 W. Bearss Ave., Tampa; free admission; to RSVP, call Manjusha Naik at (813) 842-8563, Vandana Shelkar at (813) 943-5288, or email [email protected]
FEB. 5: “THYAGARAJA ARADHANA;” Hindu Temple of Florida, 5509 Lynn Road, Tampa; cultural program from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. honoring the great poet, musician, composer Thyagaraja; for more information, call the mandir at (813) 962-6890.
FEB. 12: VALENTINE’S DAY PARTY; organized by India Cultural Center (ICC) in partnership with Florida Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (FAPI); 7 p.m.; ICC, 5511 Lynn Road, Tampa; tickets are $25, including dinner and open bar; free for ICC trustees; for more information, call Dr. Nandkishor Shah at (727) 347-2780 or Dr. Harish Patel at (727) 543-5599.
FEB. 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) 784-6930 or Ram Jakhotia at (813) 962-4172.
FEB. 18-20: SECOND ANNUAL INDIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (IIFF) OF TAMPA BAY; Channelside Cinemas, Tampa; for details, see our story on page one, or call Francis Vayalumkal at (813) 719-0303, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.iifftampa.com
FEB. 20-22: WORKSHOP ON “SPIRITUALITY IN FAMILY LIFE” AND TALKS ON “BHAKTI YOGA: THE YOGA OF DEVOTION;” organized by Chinmaya Mission Tampa; speaker is Swami Shantananda; Chinmaya Prasad Ashram, 18708 Hanna Road, Lutz; yoga talks from 7:30 to 9 p.m. daily are free; spirituality workshop, including dinner, from 3 to 6 p.m. daily, is $40 per person; for more information, call Chinmaya Mission at (813) 749-7702, visit www.chinmayaprasad.org or e-mail [email protected]
FEB. 25: GUJARATI PLAY “DIKRI NO. 1;” presented by Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay; India Cultural Center, 5511 Lynn Road, Tampa; 7:30 p.m.; free for Samaj members; non-members pay $15; for more information, call Dr. Ashok Modh at (813) 728-4450 or visit www.gujaratisamaj.org
APRIL 2: BAYSIDE BHANGRA; presented by First Desi Alliance, India Cultural Center and Punjabi Association of Florida; 5 p.m.; Straz Center, (formerly Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center), Ferguson Hall, 1010 N. W.C. MacInnes Place; tickets on sale now; for information, call Kuleen Shah at (813) 486-4129, Vince (813) 516-4107, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.baysidebhangra.com
APRIL 9: PUNJABI MELA; presented by Punjabi Association of Florida; India Cultural Center, 5511 Lynn Road, Tampa; Punjabi folk singer Sukhwinder Panchi with band, gidha, bhangra; seated family show that includes dinner and drinks; for tickets or more information, call Amrit Brar at (813) 295-2121 or Surinder Dhaliwal at (727) 667-8369.
ORLANDO/OAKLAND/OCOEE
FEB. 6: HSCF NEW AGE GROUP; Hindu Society of Central Florida hall, 1994 Lake Drive, Casselberry; 1:30 to 5 p.m.; “Planning for retirement and beyond: Understanding elder law, including wills, trusts and probate, and your rights under Social Security law,” seminar by Rana Tiwari; tea/coffee party; $3 per person; RSVP to [email protected] or call Madan Arora at (407) 971-9259, Dev Sharma at (407) 862-9920.
FEB. 12: VALENTINE’S DAY BASH; Timehri Banquet Hall, 7371 W. Colonial Drive, Orlando; presented by SR Entertainment; doors open at 8 p.m. with show time at 9; $10 tickets in advance; for more information, call Surendra at (407) 446-6996 or Leon at (321) 228-6552.
FEB. 20: VISHAL VAID LIVE IN CONCERT; evening of ghazals, bhajans, geets, film songs; St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church, 9600 W. Colonial Drive, Ocoee; 4 p.m.; hosted by Ricky Singh; for information, call (407) 291-6900, (407) 383-3231, (407) 963-6862 or (407) 731-5909.
DAYTONA BEACH/ORMOND BEACH
FEB. 4: GUJARATI COMEDY EXPRESS; stand-up comedy by Atul, Mahesh Vaidya and Nirav Mehta; presented by Karaoke Club of Daytona Beach; Ormond Beach Senior Center, 351 Andrews St., Ormond Beach; $12 for adults, $7 for children 10 years and older; for more information, e-mail [email protected]
JACKSONVILLE
FEB. 5: INDIA DAY; organized by the Indian Cultural Society of Jacksonville to commemorate India’s Republic Day; starts at 3 p.m.; Atlantic Coast High School (near 9A and Baymeadows Road), Jacksonville; highlights are a musical comedy drama “ABCD vs. DCBA” and the India Quiz; to participate or for more information, e-mail [email protected], [email protected] or visit www.jaxics.org
MELBOURNE
FEB. 11: VALENTINE’S DAY; organized by India Association of the Space Coast; Holiday Inn-Viera, 8298 Wickham Road, Melbourne; 7 to midnight; $50 per couple; RSVP only; call Sanjay Patel at (904) 540-9751 or visit www.iascbrevard.com
MARCH 12-13: INDIAFEST; presented by Manav Mandir; Wickham Park Pavilion, 3845 N. Wickham Road, Melbourne; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday; “Cultural Weddings of India” is the theme; also, cultural shows, fashion shows, music, henna, arts and crafts, yoga demonstration, live Indian cooking demo; $4 for adults and $1 for children age 12 and younger; kids 5 years of age and younger are free; for more information, visit www.indiafestbrevard.org
GAINESVILLE
MARCH 19: INDIA FEST AND HEALTH FAIR; presented by the India Cultural & Education Center; health fair will be 9 a.m. to noon and the festival will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Santa Fe Community College, Gymnasium (Building V), 3000 N.W. 83rd St., Gainesville, FL 32606; $3 admission, kids younger than 5 years of age are free; Indian food, dance, art, music, jewelry, clothing, henna; for information, call (352) 378-7112, (352) 505-9106, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.icec-florida.org
PUNTA GORDA
FEB. 27: SHOWCASE INDIA; organized by the Indian American Cultural Center; Charlotte Harbor Event Center, 75 Taylor St., Punta Gorda; 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; adult tickets are $10; children 6 to 12 years of age are $5; for more information on Punta Gorda Showcase India, call (941) 639-5833, (941) 743-2277 or (941) 639-0025.
FORT MYERS
FEB. 5: MONTHLY BHAJAN; Hindu Temple of Southwest Florida, 12552 Plantation Road, Fort Myers; 7 p.m.; for information, call (239) 482-0677, (239) 274-5584 or (239) 466-5236, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.hindutempleswfl.com
SOUTH FLORIDA
FEB. 6: SIXTH ANNUAL HEALTH FAIR; organized by Indian Physicians of South Florida (IPOF); 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.; South Florida Hindu Temple, 13010 W. Griffin Road, Southwest Ranches; several physicians available to answer questions; also screenings to be held; for more information, call Dr. Asha Gupta at (954) 234-5674, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.ipof.org
FEB. 12: SARASWATI PUJO; organized by the Bengali Association of South Florida; Westpine Middle School, 9393 N.W. 50th St., Sunrise; for more information, visit www.basfl.org or e-mail [email protected]
FEB. 17-19: WORKSHOP AND JNANA YAGNA BY SWAMI SHANTANANDA; organized by Chinmaya Mission Miami; jnana yagna from 7:30 to 9 p.m. daily is free; workshop from 9 a.m. to noon daily is $40 per person; Ballroom, Guest Suites of Boca, 701 N.W. 53 St., Boca Raton; (off Yamato Road and I-95); for more information, visit www.cmmiami.org
FEB. 19-21: 2011 SWAMI VIVEKANANDA HINDU HERITAGE CAMP; organized by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America; Camp Owaissa Bauer, 17001 S.W. 264th St., Homestead; camp activities include games, yoga, stories, discussions, cultural programs, slokas, arts, camp fire; all-include camp fee is $60 per person and $50 for each additional family member; for more information, call Ram Agarwal at (305) 238-0327, Vijay Narang at (954) 915-6913, visit camps.vhp-america.orgcamps.vhp-america.org or e-mail [email protected]
FEB. 19: INDIAFEST; organized by Palm Beach India Association; Meyer Auditorium, 105 Evernia St., West Palm Beach; noon to 9 p.m.; opening act will be Prita Chhabra; for details, visit www.sfindiafest.com or e-mail [email protected]
MARCH 19-20: 18TH ASIAN 2011 FOOD FAIR & CULTURAL SHOW; presented by the Bangladesh Association of Florida; Old School Square Cultural Arts Center, 51 N. Swinton Ave., downtown Delray Beach; cultural show featuring Bangladeshi/Bollywood singers and dancers, bhangra teams, fashion shows, arts and crafts, etc.; for more information, call (561) 876-2255, (954) 873-1411, (754) 246-2801, (561) 502-1910 or visit www..asianfair.org