Second Annual "Taste of India Festival" April 20

The Asian Indian community in Hampton Roads will celebrate and share its heritage and culture from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 20 at Old Dominion University's Ted Constant Convocation Center. The second annual "Taste of India festival," which is free and open to the public, will highlight the culture, politics and history of India through live musical and dance performances, video displays, ethnic Indian foods and a wide variety of exhibits and booths. In addition, teams from four universities, including ODU, will compete in a Bhangra dance contest. Bhangra is a traditional Punjabi folk dance.

According to Vinod Agarwal, ODU professor of economics and organizer of the event, "Taste of India" is one of the largest Asian Indian festivals in Virginia. "We had more than 7,000 attendees last year and we expect more than 10,000 this year," he said.

The Asian Indian community plays an important role in the Hampton Roads region, Agarwal added, contributing $140 million annually to the local economy. "This community is represented by over 140 physicians, 50 PhD scientists and engineers, many hotel and small business owners and numerous software and IT professionals," he said. "Old Dominion University alone has 28 professors of Asian Indian descent."

This year's festival will include a raffle for a new 2008 Mercedes E350 sedan. Raffle tickets are $100 and the number of tickets sold will be limited to 1000.

For more information about the event visit www.TasteofIndiaHR.org or contact Dr. Vinod Agarwal at vagarwal@odu.edu.