SIGNIFICANT DATES
MARCH 17: HOLI
MARCH 21: NAVROZE (PARSI NEW YEAR)
MARCH 31: GUDI PADWA/UGADI/CHETI CHAND (HINDU NEW YEAR)
EVENTS
TAMPA/ST. PETERSBURG/CLEARWATER
MARCH 1: CONCERT; Ekal Vidyalaya fundraiser; performer is Kathak dancer Aditi Bhagwat; 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. dinner followed by concert; India Cultural Center, 5511 Lynn Road; for information, call Jawahar Taunk at (727) 480-3829 or e-mail [email protected], or call Dr. Umesh Choudhry at (727) 507-0584.
MARCH 2: BHAGAVAD GITA CHANTING COMPETITION; presented by Chinmaya Mission Tampa; “Chinmaya Prasad” Ashram, 18708 Hanna Road, Lutz; 3 to 6 p.m.; Gita Chapter 2: Verses 26-48; for details and to register early, visit http://chinmayaprasad.org/gitachanting.html; for information, call (813) 857-0134 or e-mail [email protected]
MARCH 7: 12th ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT; organized by INDO-US Chamber of Commerce; Cheval Golf & Country Club, 4312 Cheval Blvd., Lutz; noon registration and lunch; shotgun start at 1 p.m.; register online at www.indo-us.org
MARCH 13-16: Isha Yoga: Inner Engineering Program; learn a simple but powerful 21-minute meditation for peace, joy and inner wellbeing; 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday and all day on weekend; program fee is $325, discounts available; USF Gibbons Alumni Center, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., ALC 100 Tampa; for questions, email [email protected] or call (813) 413-1661
MARCH 19: BUSINESS & NETWORKING EVENT: COMPETING WITH BUSINESS ANALYTICS: HOW SMART ORGANIZATIONS USE DATA TO OUTPERFORM THE COMPETITION; speaker is Dr. Moez Limayem, dean, USF College of Business; organized by INDO-US Chamber of Commerce; 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.; Homeowners Choice Insurance Building (5300 W. Cypress St., Tampa); free; dinner will be served and no RSVP required; for information, visit www.indo-us.org
MARCH 19: ICC SENIORS GET-TO-GATHER; India Cultural Center, 5511 Lynn Road, Tampa; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; free seminar, lunch and entertainment; no minimum age requirement; for information or ride, call John Adhia at (813) 784-1132 or Ram Jakhotia at (813) 962-4172.
MARCH 26: “SUFFERING IN SILENCE;” Dr. Aarti Mathur and Sushama Kirtikar; PEHCHAAN (Providing Educational, Humanistic & Cultural Hope for the south Asian American Network) is presenting at Mayor's Youth Corps; Barksdale Community Center, MacFarlane Park, 1700 N. MacDill Ave., Tampa; 6 to 8 p.m.; free and open to public (adolescents and teenagers); for more information, visit www.pehchaantampabay.org or call Vandan Kamath (813) 417-3248 or Muktha Ravi at (813) 333-5676.
APRIL 5: PUNJABI MELA; presented by the Punjabi Association; India Cultural Center, 5511 Lynn Road, Tampa; featured entertainer is bhangra singer Jassi Sidhu; tickets available online at www.punjabiassociationoftampa.com; for details, e-mail [email protected]
APRIL 6: 2nd Annual Walk For Mental Health Awareness; organized by PEHCHAAN (Providing Educational, Humanistic & Cultural Hope for the south Asian American Network); Lake Park, 17302 N. Dale Mabry Highway, Lutz; 8:15 a.m.; registration is $5 per person; children 12 years of age and younger are free; for information, visit www.pehchaantampabay.org or call Vandan Kamath at (813) 417-3248 or Manjusha Naik at (813) 842-8563.
APRIL 19: GUDIPADWA CELEBRATION; organized by Maayboli Melawa Tampa Bay (MMTB); for details, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.mmtbusa.org
APRIL 27: 9th TAMPA BAY CARIBBEAN CARNIVAL; Florida State Fairgrounds, 4800 U.S. 301 N., Tampa; parade and concert 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; $20 admission; children 5 to 12 years of age are $5; for information, call (813) 325-5584, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.tampabaycaribbeancarnival.com
APRIL 30: “SANNIDHI” (SACRED SPACE); Aparna Ramaswamy to perform Bharat Natyam dance; Ferguson Hall at Straz Center, 1010 N Macinnes Place, Tampa; 8 p.m.; tickets range from $35-$45; for information, call (813) 229-7827 or visit www.strazcenter.org
BARTOW/LAKELAND
MARCH 15: CONCERT; Ekal Vidyalaya fundraiser; performer is lead singer Vibhavari Yadav of the Vibhavari group; 6 p.m.; Shree Swaminarayan Temple hall, 2793 New Tampa Highway, Lakeland; for details, call Nilesh K. Patel at (863) 853-9315.
OCALA/BELLEVIEW
MARCH 2: SATSANG; Pushtidham (Haveli of Florida), 14080 S.W. 20th Ave. Road, Ocala; 3:30 p.m.; for information, call Bharat at (973) 460-5936, Raj Kamdar at (352) 568-5729 or visit www.pushtidhamocala.org
MARCH 14: CONCERT; Ekal Vidyalaya fundraiser; performer is lead singer Vibhavari Yadav of the Vibhavari group; 8 p.m.; India Association Cultural & Educational Center, 2030 N.E. 36th Ave.; for details, call Dr. Nand Kishore Karve at (352) 237-3084 or e-mail [email protected]
ORLANDO/CASSELBERRY
MARCH 2: CONCERT; Ekal Vidyalaya fundraiser; performer is Kathak dancer Aditi Bhagwat; Lyman High School, 865 S. Ronald Reagan Blvd., Longwood; for time and other information, call Suresh Gupta at (407) 352-2889.
MARCH 9: ANNIVERSARY BANQUET; organized by Hindu Society of Central Florida (HSCF) New Age Group; HSCF community hall, 1994 Lake Drive, Casselberry; 5 p.m.; annual members cost is $12 per person; non-members pay $15 and at the gate $20; RSVP [email protected]
MARCH 13: speaker series presents consul general of india ajit kumar; organized by the Indian American Chamber of Commerce; Ramada Inn, 3155 S. John Young Parkway, Orlando; 6 to 8 p.m.; free for chamber members and $10 for non-members; RSVP by March 5 to iacc.mymobisite.us
MARCH 29: ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF INDIA; organized by the Hindu Society of Central Florida, 1994 Lake Drive, Casselberry; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on temple grounds and in the community hall; free admission with nominal parking charge; to reserve a stall/booth or register for cultural programs, visit www.hindutempleorlando.org, then click on MyHSCF on left; for questions, call the mandir at (407) 699-5277 or Prashant Saoji at (321) 460-0800.
APRIL 5: TIBETAN BUDDHIST MEDITATION; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Hindu University of America campus, 113 S. Econlockhatchee Trail, Orlando; workshop will be led by Mark Winwood, founder and resident teacher of the Chenrezig Project, a Tibetan Buddhist study and practice group; for information, call (407) 275-0013 or e-mail [email protected] or visit www.hua.edu
APRIL 12: GUDI PADWA; organized by Orlando Marathi Mandal; Hindu Society of Central Florida, 1994 Lake Drive, Casselberry; 3:30 p.m.; for information, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.orlandomarathi.com/
APRIL 13: 3RD ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT; MetroWest Golf Club, 2100 S. Hiawassee Road, Orlando; organized by the Indian American Chamber of Commerce (IACC); 7:30 a.m.; register at www.iaccorlando.com/events; for details, call Jay Shah at (407) 999-0366 or email [email protected]GAINESVILLE
MARCH 29: INDIA FEST & HEALTH FAIR 2014; presented by the India Cultural & Education Center; health fair will be 9 a.m. to noon and the festival will be 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Santa Fe Community College, Gymnasium (Building V), 3000 N.W. 83rd St., Gainesville; $5 admission, kids younger than 5 years of age are free; Indian food, dance, art, music, jewelry, clothing, henna; for information, call (352) 275-2276, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.icec-florida.org
FORT MYERS
APRIL 12: 28th ANNUAL INDIA FEST 2014; organized by the India Association of Fort Myers; JetBlue Park, 11500 Fenway S. Drive, Fort Myers; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; for information, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.iafortmyers.org
MELBOURNE
MARCH 8-9: INDIAFEST 2014; presented by Manav Mandir; Wickham Pavilion, 3845 N. Wickham Road, Melbourne; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday; this year’s theme is “Handicrafts of India;” cultural shows, fashion shows, music, henna, arts and crafts, yoga demonstration, Indian cooking demo; $5 for adults, $2 for children under age 12 and kids younger than 5 are free; for more information, call Nina Gadodia at (321) 779-0110, Yasmin Majeed at (321) 720-8590, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.indiafestbrevard.org
TALLAHASSEE
MARCH 16: CONCERT; Ekal Vidyalaya fundraiser; performer is lead singer Vibhavari Yadav of the Vibhavari group; 4:30 p.m.; Lee Hall Auditorium, 1601 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.; for information, call Santosh Dixit at (850) 559-1080.
SOUTH FLORIDA (MIAMI/WEST PALM BEACH/CORAL SPRINGS/PEMBROKE PINES)
MARCH 1: MIAMI MAYHEM 7; intercollegiate garba/raas competition; hosted by University of Miami Indian Students Association; to benefit Sunil’s Home Charity; Julius Littman Performing Arts Theater, 17011 N.E. 19th Ave., North Miami Beach; 6 p.m. onward; for information, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.miami-mayhem.com
MARCH 15-16: ASIAN TRADE FAIR AND CULTURAL SHOW; presented by Bangladesh Association of Florida; noon to 10 p.m.; South Florida Fairgrounds (Expo Center), 9067 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach; $10 per day; for information, call (561) 876-2255, (561) 985-3162 or visit www.asianfair.org
MARCH 22: “UNITY THROUGH DIVERSITY: A PROGRAM OF WESTERN AND EASTERN MUSIC AND DANCE;” organized by Association of Performing Arts of India; in honor of Dr. Daniel Lewis, internationally-recognized dancer, teacher, choreographer and author; 6:30 p.m.; Coral Springs Center for the Arts, 2855 Coral Springs Drive, Coral Springs; tickets range from $20-$39; $2 off to seniors 65+ and students with current ID; for information, call (954) 344-5999, email [email protected] or visit www.apaiart.com
MARCH 28-29: “YOUR GURU OF CHAI;” one-man play starring Jacob Rajan; Kravis Center for the Performing Arts (Rinker Playhouse), 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach; 7:30 p.m. Friday and 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; $28 tickets; for information, call (561) 832-7469 or visit www.kravis.org
MARCH 30: NINTH ANNUAL FREE HEALTH FAIR; organized by the Indian Physicians of South Florida (IPOF); 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.; South Florida Hindu Temple, 13010 W. Griffin Road, Southwest Ranches; free blood pressure checkup, glucose, cholesterol checks, and dental, vision and hearing screenings; for participation and information, call Narendra Maheshwari, MD, IPOF President, at (954) 234-6669 or email [email protected]
Event submissions are free of charge. E-mail [email protected]
Disclaimer: Event details are subject to change. Please check with local organizers.