By NITISH S. RELE - [email protected]

	Amit Kumar

Here�s a roundup of the Festival of Lights celebrations by Indian American communities throughout Florida.

Find Out About Events All Over FLorida

TAMPA/ST. PETERSBURG/CLEARWATER

NOV. 9: The New Tampa Gujarati Diwali dinner will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9 at Cilantro Indian restaurant, 11009 N. 56th St., Temple Terrace. Admission is $25 per couple, $10 per child over 5 years of age. RSVP required by Nov. 3 due to limited space. For information, call Nila Patel at (813) 971-8081 or Shital Gandhi at (813) 991-4250.

NOV. 10: The Florida Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (FAPI) will hold its Diwali/Thanksgiving CME and Cultural Gala on Nov. 10 at India Cultural Center in Tampa. Lunch will be at 11:30 to 12:15, followed by CME. The cultural program will be at about 6:30 p.m. with dinner and DJ/dance. Admission is free for CME attendees. Otherwise, admission is $15 for FAPI members and $20 for non-FAPI members. For more information, call FAPI President N.S. Rattehalli at (727) 861-2822 or email [email protected]

NOV. 10: The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Tampa will celebrate Diwali-Annakut on Saturday, Nov. 10. Annakut/aarti darshan will be every hour from noon to 7 p.m. Diwali will be celebrated at 8 p.m. and children�s Diwali will be 2 to 7 p.m. with fun and games for kids of all ages. The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is at 9556 E. Fowler Ave. in Tampa or call (813) 431-0038.

	Karunya

NOV. 10: The Hindu Temple of Florida will hold Diwali celebrations on Nov. 10 at its community hall, 5509 Lynn Road, Tampa. The grand cultural program will be from 3 to 7 p.m. with fireworks, followed by dinner. Admission is free. To participate in the cultural program, call Kalyani Derasari at (813) 977-6695 or email [email protected]. Also, call Lavanya Dinesh at (813) 855-6166 or e-mail [email protected]

NOV. 17: The Telugu Association of Florida will celebrate Diwali with singer Karunya and live orchestra Saturday, Nov. 17 at India Cultural Center, 5511 Lynn Road, Tampa. The 6 to 10 p.m. musical extravaganza with dinner at 8:30 p.m. will include Telugu, classical and a few Hindi songs. The association requests a donation, which includes dinner, of $200 for VIP up to four; general admission is $25 per person; children ages 5-18 are $10; children under 5 are free. For information, call Madhavi Sekharam at (813) 792-2646 or K. Veera Reddy at (813) 620-1760 or click on www.taftampa.com to buy tickets online.

NOV. 17: The Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay will hold its Diwali/Happy New Year Dinner with live entertainment Nov. 17 at the Florida State Fairgrounds. Singer Amit Kumar will present a tribute �Kal Aaj Aur Kal� to father Kishore Kumar. The 8:30 p.m. concert and dinner is free for Samaj members. Cost for non-members is $40 per person (adults over 18 years of age) and $20 for seniors over 60 years of age and students (with ID). For tickets and information, call Samaj president Dinesh Gandhi at (727) 868-4286 or e-mail [email protected] or e-mail [email protected]

NOV. 17: Maayboli Melawa Tampa Bay (MMTB) will celebrate Diwali on Saturday, Nov. 17 at the Hindu Temple of Florida community hall, 5509 Lynn Road. For more information, write to [email protected] or join MMTB mailing list at groups.yahoo.com/group/mmtb

Find Out About Events All Over FLorida
DEEPAVALI � THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS

We did it! In a little over three years, Khaas Baat has gone from a monthly printed publication of just 1,500 in the first issue in 2004 up to 10,000 copies in November 2007. That�s right. You are holding one of the 10,000 printed copies in your hands. And 5,000 copies are directly mailed free to our subscribers in Florida.
Read Full Story

	Renu Khator

Tampa�s loss is Houston�s gain. Dr. Renu Khator, provost and senior vice president at University of South Florida since 2003, will be taking over as chancellor and president at the University of Houston, Texas in January 2008. The University of Houston system, with an enrollment of 57,000 students, encompasses four universities and two multi-institution teaching centers.
Read full story

	NorthStar's Personal Banker Vinita Mehra poses with Directors Paresh Patel, left, and Dr. Kiran C. Patel at the bank�s grand opening recently. Photo by Aakash Patel

Exactly one year after filing with the Florida Office of Financial Regulation to become an official bank, NorthStar Bank opened its doors to the Tampa Bay community. More than 400 people attended the grand opening celebration held recently at the company's first office and headquarters inside the cylindrical Rivergate Tower in downtown. While NorthStar is among a dozen startup banks to open in the area since 2005, it is unique because of its ties to the Indian community.
Read full story