Florida News
MELBOURNE (MARCH 10-11), GAINESVILLE (MARCH 17), JACKSONVILLE (MARCH 24), ORLANDO (MARCH 31) TO HOLD INDIA FESTIVALS
MELBOURNE
The 16th annual Indiafest will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 10, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 11, at Wickham Park Pavilion, 3845 N. Wickham Road. Presented by Manav mandir, this year’s theme is “Festivals of India.” Tickets are $4 for adults, $1 for children ages 12 and younger and kids younger than 5 years of age are free. For information, visit www.indiafestbrevard.org
GAINESVILLE
The 13th annual Health Fair and IndiaFest is scheduled for Saturday, March 17, at Santa Fe Community College (Building V), 3000 N.W. 83rd St., Gainesville, FL 32606. Presented by the India Cultural & Education Center, the health fair will be 9 a.m. to noon and the festival from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $5; kids younger than 5 years of age are free. For details, call (352) 378-7112, (352) 505-9106, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.icec-florida.org
JACKSONVILLE
The third annual Jacksonville India Fest is slated for Saturday, March 24, at Metropolitan Park, 1410 Gator Bowl Blvd., across from the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. Admission is free to the 1 to 10 p.m. event. A first at the event this year will be a cultural dance competition in three categories and two age groups. For information, visit www.JaxIndiaFest.org
ORLANDO
The Hindu Society of Central Florida (HSCF) will hold its free Festival of India from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 31, on the temple grounds at 1994 Lake Drive, Casselberry. Daylong activities include food, music and dance. For booth information, vendors can call Promod Dubey at (407) 221-5616, HSCF at (407) 699-5277 or visit www.hindutempleorlando.org
ORLANDO
MARCH 7: HOLI; Hindu Society of Central Florida, 1994 Lake Drive, Casselberry; for information, call (407) 699-5277 or visit www.hindutempleorlando.org
MARCH 7-8: HOLI; Shree Shiv Dham Hindu Temple & Yogashram, 460 O’Berry Hoover Road, Orlando; 6.30 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Satya Narayan Puja, followed by Holika burning; Dhalandi and Holi on March 8; for information, call (407) 380-2661 or visit www.shivtemple.net
MARCH 8: GAURA PURNIMA AND HOLI CELEBRATIONS; ISKCON Orlando (Hare Krishna Temple), 2651 Rouse Road, Orlando; 5 to 8 p.m.; bhajans, abhishek of deities, aarati, kirtan, children's drama and free vegetarian feast (mahaprasad); for information, visit www.iskconorlando.com
MARCH 11: HOLI FESTIVAL; organized by Gujarati Society of Central Florida; Bill Fredrick Park at Turkey Lake (Pavilion 6), 3401 S. Hiawassee Road, Orlando; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; free for society members; $15 per person for non-members; for information, visit www.gujaratisocietycfl.com
MARCH 11: HOLI 2012; presented by Indian Horizon of Central Florida; Citrus Bowl, 1610 Church St., Orlando; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; free; for information, call Harry Singh at (321) 662-1887.
TAMPA/PINELLAS PARK
MARCH 7: HOLI AND SATYANARAYAN KATHA; 6 to 8 p.m.; organized by Ambaji Mandir of Tampa Bay, 10991 58th St., Pinellas Park; for details, call the mandir at (727) 537-9445.
MARCH 10: HOLIKA DAHAN; 4 to 8 p.m.; Sanatan Mandir, 311 E. Palm Ave., Tampa; for information, call (813) 221-4482.
MARCH 11: HOLI; celebrated by Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay; Rowlett Park, 2548 River Hills Drive, Tampa; from 10 a.m.; for information, visit www.gujaratisamaj.org
MARCH 17: ANNUAL SPRING PICNIC AND RANGPANCHMI; organized by Maayboli Melawa Tampa Bay (MMTB); 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; YMCA Camp Cristina (Riverview), 9840 Balm Riverview Road, Riverview; for information, visit http://www.mmtbusa.org/
PEMBROKE PINES/OAKLAND PARK/DANIA BEACH
MARCH 4: HOLI PICNIC AND GAMES; organized by the Indian Religious & Cultural Center; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; C.B. Smith Park-Shelter No. 6, 900 N. Flamingo Road, Pembroke Pines; snacks, lunch and pizza to be served along with colors, games, music and dance and prizes; hot tea and ganthias from 11 a.m. to noon; for information, call 954-543-1539, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.irccflorida.com
MARCH 7: HOLIKA BURNING; Shiva Mandir, 3000 N.W. 29th Ave., Oakland Park; for details, call Vijay Persad at (954) 475-3949, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.fhosm.com
MARCH 10: HOLI PICNIC; organized by Bengali Association of South Florida; John U. Lloyd Beach State Park, 6503 N. Ocean Drive, Dania Beach; for information, visit www.basfl.org
OCALA/BELLEVIEW
MARCH 11: DHULETI & DOL UTSAV; starting at 3 p.m. and Holi pragtavan at 5 p.m; Pushtidham (Haveli of Florida), 14080 S.W. 20th Ave. Road, Ocala; for information, call Bharat at (973) 460-5936 or Raj Kamdar at (352) 568-5729.
FORT MYERS
MARCH 7: HOLI AND SATAYANARAYANA PUJA; Hindu Temple of Southwest Florida, 12552 Plantation Road, Fort Myers; for details, call Mallika Nandur at (239) 482-0677, Anjana Bhatt at (239) 274-5584, e-mail [email protected] or visit http://www.hindutempleswfl.com
MARCH 11: HOLI; organized by India Association of Fort Myers; for venue, timing and other details, e-mail [email protected] or visit http://www.iafortmyers.org/
JACKSONVILLE/ATLANTIC BEACH
MARCH 17: HOLI MELA 2012; organized by the Indian Cultural Society of Jacksonville; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Henna Park (shelter 6), 500 Wonderwood Drive, Atlantic Beach; for information, visit www.jaxics.org
SPACE COAST (TITUSVILLE)
MARCH 18: HOLI; organized by the India Association of the Space Coast (IASC); Fox Lake Park (pavilion 1), 4400 Fox Lake road, Titusville; for information, visit www.iascbrevard.com
TALLAHASSEE
MARCH 11: HOLI CELEBRATION 2012; Holi Celebration 2012; hosted by India Association of Tallahassee; AJ Henry Park, Henry Park Drive, Tallahassee; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; for information, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.iatlh.org
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MUSICAL CONCERT MARCH 24 IN SUNRISE
The Association of Performing Arts of India will present an “Enchanting Sound of Sitar & Tabla” concert on Saturday, March 24, in Sunrise. Performers are Anupama Bhagwat on sitar and Shouri Lahiri on tabla.
A leading disciple of world-renowned Pandit Bimalendu Mukherjee, Bhagwat belongs to the Imdadkhani Gharana. Lahiri has studied and performed with Ustad Imrat Khan and Pandit Anirban Dasgupta, son and leading disciple of Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta.
The 6 to 9 p.m. concert will be at ArtServe Auditorium, 1350 E. Sunrise Blvd. in Sunrise. Tickets are $20, $25 and $15 for seniors and students. For more information, call (954) 885-1466, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.apaiart.com
It’s a wrap! Highlights from India International Film Festival Tampa
A comical journey through modern Goa, the myth about the birthplace of Buddha, falling in love with Seeta in New York City, all while sitting in the comfort of a theater in Channelside, Tampa. Attendees of the third annual India International Film Festival of Tampa enjoyed this unique voyage during the three-day event. About 3,000 people attended the festival and free cultural show.
Filmmakers in attendance raved that IIFF Tampa is one of the best South Asian Film Festivals in the United States. Twelve films held their world premieres at IIFF Tampa this year. The event offered high-quality films for the audience. The question-and-answer sessions with directors and producers added even more flavor for moviegoers and artists alike.
The opening night kicked of with a red carpet gala for the film, “Love, Wrinkle-Free,” which received glowing reviews from both Indian and non-Indian attendees. The light-hearted comedy based in Goa captured the essence of the unique region, while exploring the ideals of aging and romance, with a little adventure. Director Sandeep Mohan and Producer/Actor Giju John were thrilled with the turnout and the reaction to their film.
The crowds poured in to welcome director Deepti Naval as she showcased the Centerpiece Feature, “Do Paise Ki Dhoop, Char Aane Ki Baarish.” Her directorial debut comes decades after the legendary actress established herself in the Bollywood industry before going independent.
One of the gems of IIFF Tampa is its ability to highlight local, upcoming directors through the short films segment. Among the success stories lies “The Coffee” by Hemant Dinkar, who attended the film festival last year and was inspired to make his first short film. In addition, local filmmaker Monica Bassi premiered her second short film "Uncoupled," and Anjani Pandey of St. Petersburg premiered his film "Nu Me.”
The closing night feature, “Love, Lies and Seeta” highlighted local talent. One of the main actors, Arjun Gupta, is from Tampa.
For more information, visit www.iifftampa.com or www.facebook.com/IndianFilmFest
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