There’s something for everyone at the first annual South Asia Festival Oct 26 - Nov 2 at Simon Fraser University’s Surrey campus.

The lively week-long festival, sponsored by SFU, the City of Surrey, the Surrey Board of Trade and Red FM, opens with South Asian dance and music. It includes a day-long business conference, free screenings of six popular Bollywood hits, and readings by acclaimed Indo-Canadian authors.

“Strengthening our ties to [the Indo-Canadian community] and the countries of South Asia is important to the university, and the goal of our recently announced India Initiative and India Advisory Council.,” says SFU president Michael Stevenson. “”

The conference, From Dragon to Tiger: Capturing Business Opportunities in India will run Oct 30 at the Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel in Surrey. The event will focus on issues such as manufacturing, information technology, outsourcing and logistics.

The films, including popular hits such as Bride and Prejudice and Guru, will be shown at all three SFU campuses—Burnaby, Vancouver, and Surrey. An SFU scholar or film/television personality will introduce them.

Authors Ameen Merchant (The Silent Raga) and Ranj Dhaliwal (Daaku) will read from their novels, along with two acclaimed Urdu poets — Zahid Laeeq and Muhammad Afzal.

Royal Columbian Hospital physician Arun Garg says the festival is an ideal way to bring all of Metro Vancouver’s communities together to celebrate the richness of South Asian culture. “I’m looking forward to the growth and continuation of the festival in years to come,” says Garg who co-chairs SFU’s India Advisory Council with Stevenson.

Visit www.southasiafestival.cafor more details or www.surrey.sfu.ca