Several communities in the Sunshine State are gearing up to observe India's Republic Day. Here are a few of the scheduled events:

TAMPA: The Federation of Indian Associations of Tampa Bay (FIA of Tampa Bay) will hold Republic Day celebrations from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 25, at the "village" in Bayanihan Arts & Events Center, 14301 Nine Eagles Drive.

The outdoor festival will feature cultural exhibit booths to showcase India, with themes such as religion, music and dance, dresses of India, festivals, foods, languages, tourism, cinema, etc. Vendors will set up stalls for Indian jewelry, arts and crafts, food, clothing boutique, among others.

In the open-air auditorium, entertainment will feature music and dance from different parts of the country along with fancy dress competition and a Fashion Parade. There will be fun filled events for the kids.

For more information, call FIA President Ram Reddy at (813) 926-6617, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.fia-tampabay.com
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	Aishu Venkataraman

Fifteen-year-old musical prodigy Aishu Venkataraman will perform a concert Thursday, Jan. 15 at Central Florida Community College in Ocala.

Venkataraman is a violist trained in the classical South Indian and the American jazz tradition. She will be accompanied by her father, Vinod Venkataraman, a percussionist and an accomplished educator.

On Jan. 15, at 7:30 p.m., the pair will perform in the Fine Arts Auditorium at the Ocala Campus, 3001 S.W. College Road. Admission is free but tickets are required as seating is limited. For tickets, call the CFCC Box Office after Jan. 7 at (352) 873-5810.
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Makar Sankrant (kite-flying festival) will be held throughout our beautiful state. Here are some of the cities that are observing the event:

TAMPA: The Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay will commemorate Makar Sankrant from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 18 at Rowlett Park (shelters #202 and #204), 2501 River Hills Drive. That's near Busch Gardens,

For more information, visit www.gujaratisamaj.org

The annual program also will be celebrated in Tampa by the Maayboli Melava Tampa Bay (MMTB), a Maharashtrian association, from 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17, at Carrollwood Cultural Center, Annex Hall, 13345 Casey Road.

For details, e-mail [email protected] or call Atul Taiwade at (813) 767-4264 or Pallavi Pitale at (813) 210-3045.

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The Maitland Art Center (MAC) and the Asian Cultural Association (ACA) will offer a joint sculpture/folk art exhibition, "The Art of Ganesh," from Jan. 10 through Feb. 22.

A preview and reception will be held Friday, Jan. 9 at the Maitland Art Center for $5 per person. The exhibition will open to the public with a ceremonial dance procession at noon the next day in the gallery. Guest Co-Curators include Jigisha Doshi and Shilpa Soneji-Davda, who will offer an in-depth look into cultural, geographical (regional), fine art, folk and contemporary significance of this popular Indian deity.

Gallery hours for the Maitland Art Center are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission to the galleries is free for MAC members, $2 for seniors 65 years and older and $3 for not-yet-MAC members. For more information, call (407) 539-2181 or visit www.maitlandartcenter.org.

Meeting in the backdrop of the current financial crisis, which has affected their business by at least 20 percent, Asian American convenience store owners met Nov. 22 in Tampa for a brainstorming session to evolve a joint strategy on their most pressing problem of the day.

Convenience store owners from all over the country attended the day-long fourth annual convention of the Asian American Convenience Stores Association (AACSA). Founded in the year 2005, AACSA is the apex body of the Asian American convenience stores in the United States.

Terming it as a historic meeting, Satya Shaw, AACSA founder and president, said that this is the first time that leaders of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) and AACSA have joined hands and come together on one platform.

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