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Connecting with compatriots
By JACKIE RIPLEY © St. Petersburg Times, published October 8, 2000 TOWN 'N COUNTRY -- It's Friday night and your kids are living it up in Ybor City. You have no idea what kind of clubs they're going to, restaurants they're eating at, shops they're browsing through. That might worry any parent. But to parents who are new to this country, it can seem even more serious. Those are just some of the concerns Town 'N Country businesswoman Ronica Jaipershad hopes to address with india CONNECTION, a monthly regional newspaper geared toward the Indian population in the Tampa Bay area as well as statewide. Jaipershad said she wants to educate fellow Indians about Indian matters, as well as about non-Indian matters. "We live in America," Jaipershad said. "We need to assimilate." Jaipershad said Indians, especially women, want to know "where we can go when we just want to chill." The inaugural issue of india CONNECTION is slated for publication Oct. 15, to coincide with the conclusion of Diwali, pronounced (D-vah-lee), the Hindu Festival of Lights when believers say good overcomes evil. The newspaper will cover topics including the local social scene, health and fitness, youth and geriatrics, finance and real estate, family and education and legal and religious news. Though she is Hindu, Jaipershad said india CONNECTION will not be a Hindu newspaper, mainly because there are so many different religions, other than Hindu, practiced by the area's Indian population. The roughly 35-page publication will be distributed free across Florida. Jaipershad said a newspaper in the genre of india CONNECTION is needed because the Indian culture, especially in the Tampa Bay area, is so spread out that it's hard to keep up with everything that's going on. "I want to connect everybody with everything they need to know," Jaipershad said. No stranger to entrepreneurship, Jaipershad, 47, also owns the Internet Cafe on Paula Drive in Town 'N Country where patrons can go online and take computer classes. Jaipershad, who was born in British Guyana, also owns Spectrum, a computer consulting company. She worked for IBM in Toronto as a systems management consultant before relocating to Tampa five years ago with her three children. Jaipershad said the idea for a newspaper came about after talking with friends about the need for clear, concise, well-organized news aimed at the Indian community. "The skills and the talent are all coming together," Jaipershad said. "I'm ready to rock 'n roll and launch." -- Jackie Ripley can be reached at (813) 226-3468 or ripley@sptimes.com.
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From the Times |
