OCTOBER 2013
Khaas Baat : A Publication for Indian Americans in Florida

Florida News

Some of the Florida communities celebrating the festival of nine nights are:

TAMPA/PINELLAS PARK

The Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay will celebrate Navratri on Oct. 4-5 and Oct. 11-12 at the Florida State Fairgrounds, 4800 N. U.S. 301, Tampa. Beginning at 8:30 p.m., the event is free for Samaj members. Non-members pay $15 per night and students with ID pay $10 per night. Dandiya will be available for purchase and nominal parking fees apply. For more information, visit www.gujaratisamaj.org or call Bhogilal Patel at (813) 784-6653 or Sudhir Shah at (727) 686-7424.

Navratri begins from 7 p.m. Oct. 5 to 13 at the Hindu Temple of Florida, 5509 Lynn Road, Tampa. For timings and other details, call (813) 962-6890.

The Sanatan Mandir at 311 E. Palm Ave., Tampa, will celebrate Navratri from Oct. 5-13. Dashera Mela on Oct. 13 from 4 p.m. includes Ram Lila, Ravan Dahan and food booths, etc. For details, call the temple at (813) 221-4482.

Ambaji Mandir at 10991 58th St., in Pinellas Park, will celebrate Navratri with daily garba at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 5-13. Maha Astami Havan will be from 4 p.m. on Oct. 12. For more information, call the Mandir at (727) 388-6685, (727) 537-9445 or visit www.ambajimandir.org

Vishnu Mandir in Tampa will celebrate Navratri from Oct. 5-13. The temple is at 5803 Lynn Road. For information, call Dr. Sadhana Ramcharran at (727) 798-4258 or MJ Jaimangal at (727) 946-8144.

SOIKOT (Bengali Association of Greater Tampa Bay) will hold Durga Puja on Oct. 12-13 at India Cultural Center, 5511 Lynn Road, Tampa. On the first day, there will be a puja and cultural programs with local talent. On Oct. 13 is a "sindur khela," then Sounak Chattopadhay, a renowned classical singer, performs, followed by the Bangla band Fakira from India. For more information, e-mail Soikot_florida@yahoo.com or visit www.soikot.org

Also, Shree Raam Mandir will hold a Gyaan Yagna 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. from Oct. 5-12 and from 9 a.m. to noon on Oct. 13. Officiating are Pandits Kapil Persad and Vijay Ganga accompanied by Dharma Jyoti Sangh Kirtan Group. The temple is at 7411 Comanche Ave., Tampa. For information, call Nick Ramlal at (813) 334-0443, Angela Puchoon at (813) 265-3268 or e-mail nramlal@hotmail.com

ORLANDO/CASSELBERRY

The Gujarati Society of Central Florida will hold Navratri Garba on Oct. 11-12 and 18-19 at Lyman High School, 865 S. Ronald Reagan Blvd., Longwood. Free for society members. Non-members pay $15 per person per day, students with ID $10. For information, call Nilkanth Kapadia at (407) 832-3835, Sunil Patel at (407) 474-4773, e-mail info@gujaratisocietycfl.com

The Hindu Society of Central Florida (HSCF) temple will present Navratri Utsav and live music Raas and garba from Oct. 5-13 in the community hall, 1994 Lake Drive, Casselberry. Timings are 8 to 11 p.m. on weekdays and 8 to midnight on weekend. Snacks will be available at the canteen stall. Dussehra celebration will be from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Oct. 19. For more information, call the temple at (407) 699-5277, e-mail hscf@hindutempleorlando.org or visit www.hindutempleorlando.org

And Maa Durga Sri Sai Baba Temple will present Navratri Garba & Raas from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Oct. 11-12 at JCC Hall, 11184 S. Apopka Vineland Road, Orlando (which is close to the temple). Entrance is free. For information, call (407) 574-8044, e-mail maadssbtemple@gmail.com

SOUTH FLORIDA

CORAL SPRINGS: The Indian Regional & Cultural Center (IRCC) will celebrate Navratri from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Oct. 5 and Oct. 12 at Taravella High School, 10600 Riverside Drive, Coral Springs. Attendees are urged to note that this is a new location for Navratri from previous years. Tickets are available only at the gate, $10 per day, senior citizens $5, kids under 5 years of age are free. For other information, call (954) 543-1539 or visit www.irccflorida.com

SUNRISE: The Bengali Association of South Florida is organizing Durga Pujo on Oct. 12 at Westpine Middle School, 9393 N.W. 50th St. (near the Sawgrass Expressway). On the agenda are a puja, kids sit and draw, Anjali, lunch, cultural program and dinner, and dance. For details, call (954) 864-9388, email sf.bengali@gmail.com or visit www.basfl.org

PALM BEACH: The Palm Beach India Association will celebrate Navratri/Garba at 8 p.m. on Oct. 4-5 at Royal Palm Beach High School, 10600 Okeechobee Blvd., Royal Palm Beach. Also, on Oct. 11-12 at Palm Beach Central High School, 8499 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Wellington. For information, e-mail president@gopbia.com or visit www.gopbia.com

BOCA RATON: The Chinmaya Mission Miami will hold Navratri Devi/Matr Puja from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 5 in the cafeteria at Olympic Heights High School, 20101 Lyons Rd., Boca Raton. For more information, e-mail hariom@cmmiami.org or visit www.cmmiami.org

BARTOW/LAKELAND/WINTER HAVEN

The Bhartiya Samaj of Central Florida will celebrate Navratri at 9 p.m. on Oct. 4-6 and Oct. 12 at Bartow Civic Center, 2250 S. Floral Ave., Bartow. For more information, call Subhash S. Patel at (863) 648-0294, Vinoobhai Patel at (863) 293-0942 or visit www.bscfl.com

The Shri Swaminarayan Temple (ISSO) at 2793 New Tampa Highway, Lakeland, will celebrate Navratri from Oct. 5-12. For details, call (863) 687-4776 or visit www.swaminarayanfl.com

SARASOTA/BRADENTON

The Gujarati Association of Manasota will hold 2013 Navratri from 8:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 5, 11-12 and 18-19 at Carlos E. Haile Middle School, 9501 E. State Road 64, Bradenton. It is free for paid 2013 members; non-members are $10 per person. For information, call Vishal Doshi at (941) 914-5878, Rina Patel at (941) 518-3462 or visit www.gujaratiassociationofmanasota.com

OCALA/BELLEVIEW

The India Association Cultural & Educational Center will hold Navratri on Oct. 5 and Oct. 11. For details, call (352) 804-5825 or e-mail iaocalafl@gmail.com

Dashera will be celebrated on Oct. 13 and Raas/Garba will be held on Oct. 19 at Pushtidham (Haveli of Florida), 14080 S.W. 20th Ave. Road, in Ocala. For details, call (973) 460-5936 or Raj Kamdar at (352) 568-5729.

GAINESVILLE

The Gujarati Samaj of Gatorland in Gainesville will celebrate Navratri from 7 p.m. to midnight from Oct. 11-13 at Kanapaha Middle School, 5005 S.W. 75th St., Gainesville. For details, email gujaratisamajofgatorland@gmail.com

JACKSONVILLE

The Gujarati Samaj of North East Florida will celebrate Navratri from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 11-12 and Oct. 18-19 at Jacksonville Ice & Sportsplex, 3605 Phillips Highway, Jacksonville. For information, call Bakulesh Patel at (904) 813-9616, Bipin Patel at (904) 260-7675, e-mail gujaratisamaj@comcast.net or visit www.gsnef.org

And the Bengali Association of North Florida will hold Durga/Laxmi Puja and a cultural program on Oct. 19-20 in the Multipurpose Room at the Hindu Society of North East Florida, 4968 Greenland Road, Jacksonville. For information, e-mail contact@jaxbengali.org

DAYTONA BEACH/ORMOND BEACH

The Indian Cultural Society of Daytona will hold Garba/Dandiya Raas from 7 to 11:30 p.m. Oct. 5 and Oct. 11 at the Hindu Mandir, 148 Madison Ave., Daytona Beach. Free for members, $5 for non-members. For more information, call President Rita Patel at (386) 795-0008 or visit www.icsdaytona.com

MELBOURNE

The Indian Association of the Space Coast will hold Navratri celebrations from 7 to midnight Oct. 5, Oct. 12 and Oct. 19 at Viera High School, 6103 Stadium Parkway, Viera. Adult tickets are $5 for members, $20 for non-members, kids under 18 years of age free. For more information, call (321) 302-1870, e-mail patidar7@hotmail.com or visit www.iascbrevard.com

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26th ANNUAL TAMPA INDIA FESTIVAL OCT. 26 ABOUT BUILDING RELATIONSHIP

By NITISH S. RELE
editor@khaasbaat.com

Chairman Mahesh Modha

Festival Chairman
Mahesh Modha

The signature event of the year for the Indian American community in Florida is here. The Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay (GSTB) will hold its 26th annual daylong India Festival on Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Florida State Fairgrounds.

“We are expecting over 12,000 people to attend the India Festival this year,” said Chairman Mahesh Modha. “Our theme is … Because Relationships Matter ...”

In one hall, about 150 booths will offer a variety of food, clothes, jewelry, film DVDs and CDs, arts and crafts, photo studio and home décor. In an adjacent hall, performers will be decked out in traditional attire for four categories of dance competition – garba, raas, folk and bhangra. There will be a total of 65 dance items, 50 competition and 15 non-competition. A Fashion Show has also been organized. Throughout the fairgrounds, several closed-circuit TV monitors will be set up so people can shop and eat while watching the dances.

Indian-American communities in such far places as Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Melbourne, Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Gainesville and Ocala among others will be participating in dozens of competitions. And several local dignitaries and city/county officials will be gracing the celebrations.

The India Festival will begin from 11 a.m. at the Florida State Fairgrounds, 4800 U.S. 301 N., Tampa. Tickets are $8 for adults; $5 for children 10 and younger.

There are still a few vendor booths available. For information, call Mahesh Modha at (813) 476-1540, Vijay Gandhi at (863) 287-7970, e-mail tampaindiafest@gmail.com or visit www.indiafestivaltampa.com

 


DIWALI FESTIVITIES BEGIN IN FLORIDA

Here are some of the Sunshine State communities celebrating the Festival of Lights in October and early November.

SOUTH FLORIDA

FORT LAUDERDALE: The Indian Regional and Cultural Center will hold its Diwali festivities from noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, at Broward County Convention Center, Fort Lauderdale. Chief guest is Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN. The program will include Bollywood, folk, classical music and dance, IRCC Children Show, Indian fashion show. Other attractions are food, fashion, jewelry, arts and crafts, henna, yoga, kids zone and raffle prizes. For information, call 954-543-1539, e-mail board@irccflorida.com or visit www.irccflorida.com

LAUDERHILL: Also, the sixth annual Divali Nagar will be held from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Oct. 27 at the Central Broward Regional Park, 3700 N.W. 11th Place, Lauderhill. Attractions are vendor booths, on-site workshops, and of course, entertainment. For information, call (954) 846-9895, e-mail info@divalinagar.us or visit www.divalinagar.us

MIAMI: Also, the Chinmaya Mission will celebrate Divali on Nov. 3 during the Bal Vihar prayer assembly. For details, e-mail hariom@cmmiami.org or visit www.cmmiami.org

WELLINGTON: And the Palm Beach India Association will celebrate Diwali at 6 p.m. on Nov. 2 at Palm Beach Central High School, 8499 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Wellington. There will be a dinner and cultural program by local children as well as a musical show “Ranna ke Taraane.” For information, e-mail president@gopbia.com or visit www.gopbia.com/

ORLANDO

Diwali-Lakshmi Pujan will be held from 6 p.m. on Nov. 3 by the Hindu Society of Central Florida (1994 Lake Drive) in Casselberry. Annkut will start at 5 p.m. on Nov. 9. For information, call (407) 699-5277, e-mail hscf@hintempleorlando.org, or visit www.hindutempleorlando.org

The Association of Asian Cultural Festivals will present its 16th annual free Diwali Mela from 4 p.m. on Oct. 26 at Disney Amphitheater at Lake Eola, 101 Rosalind Ave., Orlando. For more information, call Lallman Persaud at (407) 202-2161 or e-mail lmpersaud@aol.com

Shri Lakshmi Narayan Mandir will present its annual Diwali show from 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 19 in its hall at 269 N. Klondike Ave., Orlando. There will be songs and dances, comedy and fashion show. For information, call David at (407) 877-0376.

TAMPA

The Rajasthani association’s Diwali festivities will be on Nov. 2. For details, call Rashmi Jakhotia at (813) 962-4172.

The Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay annual Diwali Dinner, Entertainment and Executive Committee Elections will be held on Saturday, Nov. 9 from 5:30 p.m. at India Cultural Center, 5511 Lynn Road, Tampa. Dinner closes at 8:30 p.m. The event is free to members; non-members pay $20, non-member seniors $15. For more information, visit www.gujaratisamaj.org or call Bhogilal Patel at (813) 784-6653 or Sudhir Shah at (727) 686-7424.

Also, Shree Raam Mandir will hold its grand Diwali program from 6 to 10 p.m. on Oct. 26. The temple is at 7411 Comanche Ave., Tampa. For information, call Nick Ramlal at (813) 334-0443, Angela Puchoon at (813) 265-3268 or e-mail nramlal@hotmail.com

FORT MYERS

The India Association of Fort Myers will hold Diwali from 6 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, Oct. 19, at Bishop Verot High School, 5598 Sunrise Drive. For more information, e-mail Ranju George at ranjugeorge@aol.com or visit www.iafortmyers.org

LAKELAND

Shree Swaminarayan Mandir, 2793 New Tampa Highway, Lakeland, will celebrate Diwali on Nov. 3. For information, call (863) 687-4776 or e-mail issolakeland@gmail.com

BARTOW/WINTER HAVEN

The Bhartiya Samaj of Central Florida will celebrate Diwali at 6 p.m. on Oct. 27 at Bartow Civic Center, 2250 S. Floral Ave., Bartow. For more information, call Subhash S. Patel at (863) 648-0294 or visit www.bscfl.com

DAYTONA BEACH/ORMOND BEACH

The Indian Cultural Society of Daytona will celebrate Diwali on Saturday, Nov. 2, at Hilton Oceanfront Resort, 100 N Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach. For more information, call (386) 795-0008, e-mail icsdaytona@gmail.com or visit www.icsdaytona.com

MELBOURNE

The Indian Association of the Space Coast will hold Diwali and annual dinner Saturday, Nov. 2, at Melbourne Auditorium, 625 Hibiscus Blvd. For more information, call (321) 302-1870 or visit www.iascbrevard.com

JACKSONVILLE

The Gujarati Samaj of North East Florida will celebrate Diwali on Nov. 2 at Morocco Shine Center Auditorium, 3800 Saint Johns Bluff Road S., Jacksonville. A cultural program will be presented by the samaj’s talent. For information, call Bakulesh Patel at (904) 813-9616, Bipin Patel at (904) 260-7675, e-mail gujaratisamaj@comcast.net or visit www.gsnef.org

Also, The Indian Cultural Society of Jacksonville will hold its Diwali Dhamaka at 3 p.m. tentatively on Sunday, Nov. 10, at the University of North Florida Arena, 11852 University of North Florida Drive. There will be food, dance and music. For details, call (215) 264-0073, e-mail president@jaxics.org or visit www.jaxics.org

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