Florida News
FLORIDA OBSERVES INDIA REPUBLIC DAY
Here are some of the communities celebrating India’s Republic Day.
SOUTH FLORIDA (LAUDERHILL): The Indian Religious and Cultural Center (IRCC) will hold its Lohri/Republic Day/Anand Bazaar from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 26, at Central Broward Regional Park, Corporate Shelter No. 1, 3700 N.W. 11th Place, Lauderhill. For information, call (954) 543-1539, e-mail [email protected] or visit http://www.irccflorida.com/
TAMPA: The Federation of India Associations (FIA) of Tampa Bay will hold its Republic Day event Sunday, Jan. 26, at India Cultural Center, 5511 Lynn Road, Tampa. This year’s theme is “100 Years of Indian Cinema.” Sports competition from 8:30 a.m. kick off the program followed by a cooking competition at 11. Cultural/youth program will be from 1 followed by flag hoisting and chief guest speech at 2:30. There also will be a cultural program from 4 to 7 p.m. Booths by member associations in respective regional languages will focus on “100 Years of Indian Cinema.” Food/vendor booths will be day long. For more information, call FIA President Ravi Narayanan at (813) 760-0323, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.fia-tampabay.com
ORLANDO: The Hindu Society of Central Florida (HSCF) New Age Group will hold Republic Day celebrations from 1:30 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 26, in the HSCF Community Hall, 1994 Lake Drive, Casselberry. There will be a cultural program, speech by Dr. Piyush Agrawal of Miami, Indian snacks, tea/coffee. Entry is free with prior RSVP to [email protected] by Jan. 23.
GAINESVILLE: The India Cultural & Education Center in Gainesville will celebrate India’s Republic Day from 6 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25, at the center, 1115 S.W. 13th St. Indian food and snacks will be sold before the cultural program by the children of Gainesville community. For details, call Shaheda Qaiyumi at (352) 378-7112 or visit www.icec-florida.org
FORT MYERS: The India Association of Fort Myers will hold its Republic Day picnic on Sunday, Jan. 26, at Lakes Regional Park, Shelter C-1, 7330 Gladiolus Drive, Fort Myers. For more information, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.iafortmyers.org
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miss america is special guest at India Day jan. 19 in orlando
The Indian American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) and Orlando Magic are partnering once again to host India Day 2014. The event will take place Sunday, Jan. 19, at Amway Center, 400 W. Church St., Orlando.
The program will include a Street Festival featuring Indian dances, music, display tables, and other activities from 4-6 p.m. The Magic hosts the Boston Celtics at 6. Special guest Nina Davuluri, Miss America 2014, will grace the occasion. The Orlando NBA team’s cheerleaders will incorporate Bollywood dances in their halftime routine. Indian delicacies will be offered at the concession stands.
The IACC has partnered with community sponsors to donate more than 1,000 tickets to underprivileged children of Central Florida so they may watch a NBA game. “Come join the sparkle and the sizzle, relive the sights and smells and culture of India and cheer on your Orlando Magic,” said IACC President Tino Patel.
For tickets, call Rayfield Warren at (407) 916-2679 or [email protected] For sponsorship packages, email Amish Parikh at [email protected] For other event information, email Tino Patel at [email protected] or visit www.iaccorlando.com
LET’S GO FLY A KITE!
Florida communities are gearing up to celebrate the festival of kite flying, which also is known as Makarsankrant, Uttarayan, Lohri and Pongal. Here are a few:
TAMPA: The Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay will celebrate Uttarayan from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 12, at the Florida State Fairgrounds, 4800 U.S. 301 N., Tampa. The Samaj will sell kites and thread. There is free entry and free parking for Samaj members. Refreshment snacks and lunch will be served. Food will be provided by the Samaj. For more information, call Jyoti Gandhi at (727) 534-3767 or Sudhir Shah at (727) 686-7424.
Also, the Maayboli Melawa Tampa Bay (MMTB) will hold its annual Makar Sankrant program on Saturday, Jan. 25. For details, visit http://www.mmtbusa.org/
And on Saturday, Jan. 18, Sanatan Mandir, 311 E. Palm Ave., Tampa, will celebrate Lohri from 4 p.m. For information, call the temple at (813) 221-4482.
On Jan. 14, the Hindu Temple of Florida, 5509 Lynn Road, in Tampa will celebrate Makarsankrant with Surya Pooja at 10 a.m. For information, call the mandir at (813) 962-6890.
Also, Ambaji Mandir will hold a Makar Sankranti Puja on Jan. 14. Ambaji Mandir is at 10991 58th St. in Pinellas. For more information, call the mandir at (727) 388-6685, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.ambajimandir.org
Vishnu Mandir in Tampa will celebrate Makarsankrant on Jan. 14. The temple is at 5803 Lynn Road. For information, call Dr. Sadhana Ramcharran at (727) 798-4258 or MJ Jaimangal at (727) 946-8144.
SARASOTA/BRADENTON
The Gujarati Association of Manasota will hold its Uttarayan celebration from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Jan. 19 at Twin Lakes Park, 6700 Clark Road, Sarasota. It is free for members and $10 for non-members. Kites will be available for purchase. For information, call Vishal Doshi at (941) 914-5878, Rina Patel at (941) 518-3462 or visit www.gujaratiassociationofmanasota.com
ORLANDO/APOPKA: The Gujarati Society of Central Florida will celebrate Uttarayan on Sunday, Jan. 12, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Apopka City Athletic Complex, 3710 Jason Dwelley Parkway, Apopka. The event is free for 2013 society members; non-members pay $20. For more information, call Dipti Smart at (321) 695-4422, Rupal Shah at (407) 355-3521, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.gujaratisocietycfl.com
Pongal/Makara Sankranthi will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 14, by the Hindu Society of Central Florida (1994 Lake Drive) in Casselberry. For details, call (407) 699-5277, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.hindutempleorlando.org
The Orlando Marathi Mandal will hold its Makar Sankrant event on Jan. 18 from 11 a.m. at Barnett Park, 4801 W. Colonial Drive, Orlando. On the agenda are Limbu-Chamcha, Rassi Khech, volleyball, cricket, soccer, basketball, badminton and, of course, kite flying. Mandal members are free; non-members pay $10; for information, call (321) 947-7777.
BARTOW/WINTER HAVEN: The Bhartiya Samaj of Central Florida will celebrate Uttarayan from 11 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 12, at Mary Holland Park, North Broadway Ave., Bartow. For more information, call samaj president Subhash S. Patel at (863) 648-0294 or visit www.bscfl.com
OCALA: On Jan. 12, there will be kite flying at Pushtidham (Haveli of Florida), 14080 S.W. 20th Ave. Road, in Ocala. For information, call Bharat at (973) 460-5936 or Raj Kamdar at (352) 568-5729.
DAYTONA BEACH/ORMOND BEACH
The Indian Cultural Society of Daytona has tentatively set its Kite Day Picnic for Saturday, Jan. 11. For more information, call (386) 795-0008, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.icsdaytona.com
MELBOURNE (SPACE COAST AREA): The Indian Association of the Space Coast (IASC) will celebrate Uttarayan from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 12, at 7575 W. Highway 520, Cocoa. For information, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.iascbrevard.com
