Sharks to host Celebration of South Asian Culture on Saturday, March 15 at SAP Center at San Jose

The San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) will, once again, honor the cultural diversity of the Bay Area on Saturday, March 15 when the organization hosts its annual Celebration of South Asian Culture at SAP Center at San Jose (@SAPCenter). The Sharks will host the Washington Capitals at 2 p.m.

Tickets to the Sharks Celebration of South Asian Culture can be purchased HERE. All fans attending the game will receive a special edition beanie cap featuring this season’s Celebration of South Asian Culture logo designed by Local Color artist Suhita Shirodkar when entering SAP Center. Shirodkar, who was born in India and has lived in the Bay Area for more than 20 years, is a visual storyteller and an educator who teaches drawing from observation and travel, sketching both locally and internationally. She is the recipient of numerous grants and residencies, including a Knight Foundation Grant and a visual journalism residency with WIRED magazine. In April, the Sharks will unveil a South Asian Community Connections Mural, designed by Shirodkar.

Activities at Saturday’s game will include pregame dancing and live vocal performances by Voice of Bay Area located on the concourse above the south entrance and music played throughout the game by international bhangra, hip hop and Top 40 DJ and Music Producer DJ Heer (@DJHeerMusic). The national anthem will be performed by local 8^th grade student Anushree Kamble, and dance performances during both intermissions on the ice will be performed by Gurus of Dance, a Bollywood dance, drama, and entertainment company based in Milpitas. Free henna tattoo art will be available for all fans on the concourse near the north and south entrances throughout the game.

Also, a special pregame recognition ceremony will recognize leaders of the local South Asian community who contributed to festivities at the game including Guru's of Dance Founder Aditya Patel, UPMA (Holi) President Ritesh Tandon, Voice Of Bay Area Founder Jagruti Desai, and Charanbir Mahal of INDTV USA.

Once again, INDTVUSA, a media partner with the Sharks for the Celebration of South Asian Culture, has been instrumental in partnering on all Celebration events, making it one of the biggest celebrations in the Bay Area. Led by Mr. Charanbir Mahal (@mahalcharanbir) who collaborated with the Sharks on the first Indian Heritage night in 2020, INDTVUSA will provide onsite media coverage throughout the game. Mahal currently hosts the TV show “Sharks Snap Shot” and a weekly radio show “Sharks Hockey Hour,” the first show about the San Jose Sharks to be broadcast in Hindi and on an Indian radio station, Radio Zindagi 1550 AM. Both shows are also available on the Sharks + SAP app.

UPCOMING EVENT:

• On Sunday, March 23, the Sharks will co-host a special Holi celebration in Parking Lot C at SAP Center. The event will include lunch, free color, free Thandai, and DJ and dance performances. Children ages 5 and under are free. For more details and to purchase tickets, click HERE.

For more information about the Sharks Celebration of South Asian Culture, checkout the Sharks website at www.sjsharks.com.