Akshaya Patra Presents Namaste! Indian Festival, Feb. 1, 2025 – PR.com

Pompano
Beach,
FL,
January
17,
2025
–(PR.com)– After
consecutive
grand
successes
in
2022
and
2023
attracting
10,000+
attendees,
Akshaya
Patra
is
thrilled
to
host
the
third
annual
Namaste!
2024-25
Indian
Festival
in
partnership
with
Florida
Fine
Arts,
Inc.
Celebrating
5,000
years
of
Indian
heritage,
the
event
will
take
place
at
the
Pompano
Beach
Amphitheater
and
Grounds
on
February
1,
2025
from
11:30
AM
to
8
PM.
The
event
(Free
Tickets
at

www.NamasteFL.com)
will
feature
an
array
of
performances,
over
100
booths
showcasing
Indian
arts,
crafts,
and
culture,
a
selection
of
vendors
offering
an
array
of
delicious
Indian
cuisine
options,
and
headline
acts
that
promise
to
enchant
and
entertain.
Join
us
for
a
trip
across
India
along
with
City
Mayors
and
Commissioners
from
across
Broward
for
a
day-long
cultural
fiesta!
We
thank
our
Diamond
Sponsors
M.J
Newell
Homes,
Patel
Brothers,
and
Visit
Lauderdale
and
our
Gold
sponsors
The
City
of
Pompano
Beach,
The
Sharma
Group
(a
Merrill
Lynch
Private
Wealth
Advisor),
Florida
Power
and
Light,
and
Eastham
Capital
for
making
this
event
a
reality.

Headlining
Acts
include:
·
Carnatic
instrumental
and
vocal
performances
by
students
of
Kavitha
Jayaraman
·
Chenda
Melam,
a
unique
percussion
ensemble
led
by
Mohan
Narayanan
playing
the
Chenda,
a
percussion
instrument
integral
to
Kerala
for
over
300
years.
·
Dhol
Tasha,
a
vibrant
percussion
performance
by
the
Guru
Garjana
Dhol
Tasha
group,
through
the
mesmerizing
rhythms
of
Indian
Maharashtrian
drums.
·
Enchanting
Bharatanatyam
and
Kathak
performances
by
teams
from
Meera
Ramanathan’s
“Natya
Drishyam
School
of
Dance,”
Madhavi
Menon’s
“Natya
Marga
School
of
Dance,”
Hema
Sharma’s
“Nritya
School
of
Indian
Dance
and
Music,”
and
Shivani
Lakkad’s
Kathak
students.
These
accomplished
South
Florida
instructors
bring
elegance
and
tradition
to
the
stage.
·
Florida
Fine
Arts
music
performances
featuring
Sunshine
Vibes,
consisting
of
Rishi
Iyer,
Anjali
Kannan,
Rishab
Iyer,
Jhanvi
Subramanian,
and
Pravan
Siva.
They
are
winners
of
the
prestigious
Indian
Raga
fellowship
program.
·
Folk
dances
by
popular
local
teachers
Sheli
Chakraborty
and
Bhairavi
Pandya,
showcasing
the
rich
cultural
heritage
of
India
through
vibrant
performances.
·
Garba/Bollywood
workshop
by
Amishi
Patel-
An
energetic
blend
of
Garba
and
Bollywood
fusion
dance
performances
by
teams
from
Amishi
Patel’s
Nach
Bollywood
Style.
Amishi,
who
has
trained
over
2,000
students,
earned
numerous
awards,
leads
this
dynamic
showcase.
·
Glamorous
and
vibrant
fashion
show,
featuring
stunning
winners
led
by
Shalika
Sharma,
organizer
of
Miss
Bharat
Florida—the
largest
pageant
in
the
state—bringing
inspiration,
charm,
and
elegance
to
the
event,
with
unparalleled
style.
·
Kahini
Chandriani’s
Kahini
Dance
Company:
An
electrifying
showcase
by
talented
dancers
trained
in
folk
and
classical
styles.
Kahini,
an
alumna
of
the
Shiamak
Davar
Institute
of
Performing
Arts,
has
performed
in
Bollywood
films
(Dhoom
2,
Bunty
Aur
Babli)
and
prestigious
award
shows
like
IIFA.
·
Stand-up
comedy
by
SeethaTheComic:
Enjoy
an
evening
of
laughter
with
SeethaTheComic,
whose
witty
and
relatable
humor
will
leave
you
in
splits
and
make
your
evening
unforgettable.

About
the
curator:
Sanjay
Chandran,
founder
of
Florida
Fine
Arts,
Inc.
Sanjay
Chandran
is
an
accomplished
violinist
of
Indian
classical
and
world
music
genres.
He
has
played
solo
concerts
and
performed
with
many
renowned
Indian
musicians
all
over
the
world
and
also
received
many
awards/honors,
including
the
Sangeet
Natak
Akademi
Award
for
“The
Most
Promising
Young
Violinist”
from
the
Government
of
India.
He
has
performed
and
continues
to
perform
original
acoustic
jazz
fusion
music
with
highly
acclaimed
jazz
artists
and
has
founded/co-founded
multiple
world
music
bands
that
perform
an
original
blend
of
Indian
Classical
music
with
progressive
jazz,
pop,
Celtic,
Middle
Eastern
and
African
music.

About
the
Producer
of
Namaste:
Akshaya
Patra
USA
Akshaya
Patra
(Aak-sh-ayah
pa-tra)
is
the
world’s
largest
NGO
school
meal
program,
providing
hot,
nutritious
lunches
to
over
2
million
children
in
20,000
schools,
across
India
every
day
for
the
incredibly
low
cost
of
$20
per
child
per
year.
Using
technology
and
scale,
Akshaya
Patra
centralized
kitchens
prepare
and
distribute
up
to
250,000
hot
lunches
every
day.
With
its
vision
of
“No
child
in
India
shall
be
deprived
of
education
because
of
hunger,”
Akshaya
Patra
is
looking
to
feed
$3m
under
privileged
children
by
2025.

Akshaya
Patra
through
its
South
Florida
Chapter
chairs
has
established
a
nonprofit
Namaste,
A
Grand
Indian
Art
and
Food
Festival
to
promote
awareness
about
Akshaya
Patra
by
promoting
Arts,
Culture
and
Food.