Celebrate India Festival in Tampa on October 26, 2013
For Publication: Submitted by: Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay (GSTB)
Authored by: Nainan Desai , uc9n9n@gmail.com, Ph: 813-245-8417
and Pooja
Pandya (pooja232@gmail.com)
What: 26th Annual India Festival 2013
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When: 12pm to 10pm, Saturday, October 26, 2013
Where: Florida State Fair Grounds, 4800 U.S.
Hwy 301, Tampa, FL 33610
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What comes to mind when you think of India? A rich culture full
of vibrant colors, flavorful cuisine and
Bollywood beats? Perhaps the Taj Mahal or Slumdog Millionaire? In today’s global
economy, your mind may even go straight to tech support and call centers but no
matter where you are or where you come from, you know something about
India.
Now think about Tampa, Florida; what comes to mind this time? A
city growing at an unimaginable pace? The University of South Florida? Busch
Gardens and beaches? The Buccaneers and Yankees spring training? Would you have
ever thought about it being a place where you can experience the best of
Sub-continent India?
Many of this great nation’s travelers think of New York,
Chicago, Houston and San Francisco as having large, thriving Indian communities
without ever even considering Tampa’s ever growing and unique Indian
presence.
Each fall, the GSTB Association hosts India Festival which is an
all day dance competition event held at the Florida State Fairgrounds. When
India Festival first began in 1987 it was to display and promote the Indian
culture in a generation growing up thousands of miles away from where their
parents grew up. With each passing year the festival has grown exponentially
and went from a small show with a few hundred people in attendance to a
massive, nationally recognized competition with upwards of 8,000 people from
all over Florida and neighboring states who come to watch 900+ dancers compete
in a wide variety of dances representing India’s exceptional culture.
Participants start at just five years old and go up to men and women into their
“golden years” with college competition being the fiercest. University of
Florida’s Gator Nation, University of Miami Hurricanes, University of South
Florida Bulls and Central Florida’s Knights come out in full force to support
their school teams with Nova Southeastern and Florida International entering
the fray periodically. It is truly an amazing experience to
witness.
The success of India Festival has lead many cities across the
country to host their own shows, but the shopping is what truly sets Tampa’s
India Festival apart from the others. Over 150 vendors set up shop in the
88,000 square foot Expo Hall offering anything you can think of – music and
movies, clothes, costume and real jewelry, wedding planning services, religious
and decorative artwork, sculptures, and life services (insurance, phone plans,
accounting, etc).
If food is what you’re looking for then India Festival is the
place to be. Vendors offer taste of popular fresh, hot, mouthwatering Indian
dishes from nearly all states of India. If you’re not an adventurous eater,
don’t worry because you can get pizza and a soft drink just as easily. There is
kid friendly food like popcorn, ice-cream and cotton candy available too. Ever
tried the mango lassi - the yogurt drink of the heavenly fruit? You might just
find it the India Festival!
So if India is somewhere you’ve always wanted to go but time and
budget have been holding you back then consider a trip down to sunny Tampa
where for a price of less than of a movie ticket, about $7, you can spend a day
in the world 8,000 miles away, where you can soak in the culture, bargain for a
saree, savor the flavor of samosas just like on the streets of Mumbai – but
with air conditioning – and while watching the colorful milieu of dances.
The Tampa Bay Area is home to people from most or all 28 states
of India. A large percentage of these people belong to various associations
that represent their respective states. The largest of these organizations is
the Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay (GSTB) which has hundreds of families on their
annual membership list. GSTB hosts India Festival each year working with
several local organizations.
The 26th annual India Festival will be held on Saturday, October
26th from 12:00pm to 10:00pm at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa,
Florida. Visit www.indiafestivaltampa.com
for more information, or contact Pooja Pandya at pooja232@gmail.com or Nainan
Desai at uc9n9n@gmail.com.