The annual “India Fest - Your Gateway to India” will be held at the Dorton Arena, Raleigh from Saturday, March 24 - Sunday, March 25, 2012. Stage performance, vendor booths, advertising, and volunteer registration for India Fest 2012 are now open. The annual festival is organized by Nuv Yug to help preserve and promote Indian cultural arts by producing programs of high artistic merit that entertain and educate. The Hindi phrase “Nuv Yug” means “new era” or “new generation.” Since 2003, Nuv Yug’s flagship event India Fest - Your Gateway to India has been organized with support from City of Raleigh Arts Commission and many other organizations and individuals. India Fest attracts over 1,000 stage performers, who present over 100 dance and music items during the festival. During the weekend, traditional crafts vendors from New York, Chicago and Florida in addition to many local vendors showcase crafts from India. And, area’s top restaurants offer famous Indian delicacies to visitors. For further details visit www.nuvyug.net.
The Magellan Society (Young Professionals of the WACC) and co-host the World Affairs Council of Charlotte will present a lecture by Kishore Eechambadi, American India Foundation William J. Clinton Fellow and the Co-founder, The Coupon Doc. The lecture will take place on Monday, February 13, 2012 at the UNC Charlotte Center City Building - Room 1102 located at 320 E. 9th Street, Charlotte, NC 28202. The event will be during 6:30 - 8 pm and the cost is $5 (TMS and WACC members); $10 (non-members). Eechambadi is a humanitarian entrepreneur and co-founder of The Coupon Doc, a healthcare startup he launched in July of 2011. Prior to launching The Coupon Doc, he was selected as one of 24 individuals to receive the American India Foundation William J. Clinton Fellowship for Service, an annual fellowship designed to affect positive social and economic change in India and to increase connectivity between American professionals and Indian NGOs. As an AIF Clinton Fellow, he worked with village entrepreneurs in India to build up successful microenterprises and promote strengthening the livelihood of rural villagers in the state of Rajasthan through grassroots microenterprises. This project involved employing tribal villagers to operate a soy-processing machine, with the dual goals of providing employment and tackling the problem of malnourishment. In addition, Eechambadi conducted extensive risk analysis on microfinance in the region to determine if microfinance was in danger of borrower defaults or MFI abuse. For further details call 704.687.7762 visit 
This year Maha Shivratri will be celebrated at Charlotte's Hindu Center (7400 City View Dr.) by performing puja all night long including Rudhrabhishekham. The event will take place on Monday, February 20, 2012. For further details visit 
An event organized by the Charlotte Tamil Sangam to celebrate Pongal and Tamil culture. The event is free for members. Non-members: $15 for individuals/$20 for family. The venue is Jay M Robinson High School, 300 Pitts School Road SW, Concord NC 28027. The event timings are 3 - 8 pm. For Further Details: 704.780.6734 or lakshmanank@hotmail.com. 
Jayateerth Mevundi hails from the land of great vocalists and maestros of Hindustani Classical Music, like Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Dr. (Mrs.) Gangubai Hangal, Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur, Pt. Basavraj Rajguru and Pt. Kumar Gandharva and so on. Mevundi is considered to be a torchbearer of Kirana Gharana. he received his initial training in music under the tutelage of Sangeet Ratna Pt. Arjunsa Nakod of Gwalior Gharana for about 10 years. Since 1994 he has been under the guidance of Pt. Shripati Padegar, who is a disciple of the legendary Pt. Bhimsen Joshi of Kirana Gharana. Mevundi has won many accolades and awards through the years. The Indian Performing Arts Association of Charlotte will present Mevundi in concert on Saturday, March 31, 2012 beginning at 6 pm. The venue is CPCC, Central Campus. The tickets are General Admission $30, Reserved Seats $50, and IPAAC members free. For further details visit 
