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Anokhee Patel, 11, center, rehearses with other dancers
for one of the India Festival’s dance competitions.
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By AMITA SHAH
© St. Petersburg Times
published November 11, 2002
The 15th annual India Festival offers a sampling of Indian dance, fashion and food.
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TAMPA -- Young adults are dancing on the stage and all around you vendors are selling beautiful Indian jewelry, clothes, delicious food, art and much more.
It's not a scene from a movie but a part of the annual India Festival in Tampa. The 15th edition of the festival will be from 1 to 10 p.m. Saturday. Each year, more than 7,000 to 8,000 people attend India Festival, said Rupesh R. Shah, chairman of the 2002 festival. Along with dance competitions, the festival has an exhibition of Indian jewelry and costumes from prominent vendors from around the county, he said.
[Times photos: Lance A. Rothstein]
Musami Patel, 15, strikes a pose during dress rehearsal.
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At the festival, you see orange, white and green flags, the national flag of India, and banners hung from the ceilings.
This gathering is partly a social activity as well as entertainment. You watch as family and friends greet one another and people of all ages unite. Kids and young adults dressed in brightly colored costumes dance to music, and friends applaud the performers as their long practices have finally paid off.
Backstage, children and teenagers prepare for their five minutes of fame, putting on final makeup and getting in their last rehearsals. Directors of the groups tell the dancers to be sure to smile for the judges and audience when they get on stage. Later, there probably will be a guest star, such as last year when there was a Bill Clinton impersonator and a magician.
"I'm happy to say that we've received a tremendous outpouring of support from our Indian community as well as other communities," Shah said. "This will be a true exhibition of Indian culture and heritage. We will also have over 500 children ranging from age 5 to 21 performing on the stage."
Different age groups compete in folk, garba, raas and classical dance styles. After 10 p.m., the winners of each dance style are announced. While there, you can watch the dancers, or you can shop for the many Indian items available.
Wonderful Indian foods, such as the samosa (a tortilla with vegetables inside served with dip) or the bhel (a vegetable dish) are sold at the festival.
The India Festival is open to the public and tickets can be bought at the door. For more information, call Shah at (813) 962-3726 or visit www.gujaratisamaj.org/12india.html. -- Amita Shah, 14, is in the 10th grade at St. Petersburg High School.
All about India
The Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay presents the 15th annual India Festival from 1 to 10 p.m. Saturday at the University of South Florida Sun Dome, 4202 E Fowler Ave., Tampa. Admission is $7 for adults and $3 for children 12 and younger.
Here's the rest of today's Xpress
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