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

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.