Ganesh Market owner Sonal Mashruwala receives the Businesswoman of the Year award from Santosh Govindaraju.

Khaas Baat Editor/Publisher Nitish S. Rele, Tampa Ganesh Market & Chaat Cafe owner Sonal Mashruwala, community leader Dr. Pawan Rattan and Homeowners Choice Insurance founders Paresh Patel, Jay Madhu, Minesh Patel and Kris Persaud were honored at the recent Tampa INDOUS Chamber's 10th anniversary Banyan Ball.

Also in attendance was guest speaker Keshav Murugesh of Syntel Inc. and chief guest Sanjiv Arora, Indian Consul General in Houston, and Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Bill McCollum.

INDOUS Chamber President Francis Vayalumkal welcomed the nearly 320 attendees, a sold out crowd.

This was Arora's first visit to Tampa. Reflecting on the recent Indian elections, the Consul General said, "India is a multicultural and diverse society where 714 million electoral votes were cast. A great transformation has taken place in India since 1985, and we've seen vibrancy in science and technology, and our growing middle class."
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The Hindu Society of Central Florida's temple in Casselberry celebrated its fourth anniversary by holding a Sahasra Kalasabhishekam, Brahmotsavam and Sri Chandi Havan from June 19-21. These three days of havans, prayers and religious activities filled the temple premises with deep sonorous sounds of spiritual chants from the Vedas. Twelve renowned priests performed the ancient, meaningful and appropriate rites and rituals.

More than a 1,000 devotees witnessed and participated in various religious activities such as Garuda Vahanotsavam, Sesha Vahanothsavam, Ratha Yatra, Sri Chandi, Sri Ganesha, Sri Vishnu and Sri Lakshmi havans.
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About 40 artists from India recently presented "Sathvaro Shri Radhe Shymno," a devotional music-dance saga of Shree Radha-Krishna, in Orlando.

The star of the show was 8-year-old Khushali Hirani. Punita Hirani, choreographer and dancer, showed unstoppable energy. Her choreography conveyed the relationships of the characters and their emotions effectively. Gracious emcee Himali Sejpal used humor and witty observations to entertain and connect the audience with the 5,000-year-old life story of Radha-Krishna. Vocalists Manisha Salva and Saurabh Mehta ("Indian Idol" finalist) were in superb tune.

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More than 300 people are expected at the second annual Garam Garba on Saturday, July 11, in Orlando. Last year's event held by the Exit 10 group (group of 19 motivated students from the University of Central Florida) raised $2,638 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

This time, the group hopes to raise between $4,000 to $5,000. "We want to bring awareness of the South Asian cultures and obtain a strong voice for South Asians within our community," said organizer Neal Patel of Orlando. Performing at Garam Garba will be the Rawal Bros of Daytona Beach. Read full story

	Ford Edge

For 2009, Ford has an all-new Sport version of the Edge. Overall ride and handling quality is excellent with the right amount of power for passing on city streets or the highway in the four-door, five-passenger crossover SUV.

A 3.5-liter V-6 engine doles out 265 horsepower at 6250 rpm and 250 pounds-feet of torque at 4500 rpm. The 6-speed automatic transmission is slick and flawless. Tow capacity is a decent 3,500 pounds. Based on a unibody structure and exclusive to the Sport model are massive 22-inch wheels, dual exhaust and a body-colored kit, which includes a distinct front air dam, side skirts, lower door caps and a rear skirt.
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