Nizam, 78, dances into the Hall of Fame

Former dancer, Nizam Mohammed, 78, was inducted in the 103 FM’s Hall of Fame for his contribution to East Indian dancing through the 1930s, right onto the 70s in TT. At the Central Bank Auditorium last Sunday,  Mohammed took a while before he could reach the stage but the audience had the opportunity to look at the man who spent 40 years of his life as an East Indian dancer in this country. While everyone recognised him as the one chosen for the Hall of Fame, it was a glorious moment for Mohammed. He was filled with appreciation as he collected his plaque. “I thought that the people would no longer remember us for our contribution and here it is that I would always be remembered now,” he expressed his sentiments on receiving the plaque.  

Mohammed, who is from Bank Village, Waterloo Road, Carapichaima, was responsible for setting the pace for East Indian dancers in TT.
He received the Humming Bird Silver in 1988 for his contribution to the development of culture in the country. Although his health is failing and he can no longer dance, Mohammed is very outspoken. He said that his love for dance took him to other countries of the world. He performed in Suriname, and Grenada in 1962 and in 1967 he journeyed to Canada where he danced before a packed audience in Toronto for Caribbean Expo. Nizam told People that ever since he was a child he loved the music and dances associated with the movies  that came from India. “I would listen to the sound of the dholak and create the dance steps in my mind. I would move my hand and feet in time with the music and I made my neighbours and friends laugh with delight. They would laugh but I was serious about the art,” he said. He spent many days as a young man studying the music and the meaning of the songs that were created in India. His choreography became meaningful when the important members of the public noticed him dancing and asked him to perform before large audiences. “Back in the 1920s and 30s, everybody was into singing and playing music and I felt that I had to encourage people to dance. While others were ashamed to dance in public, I enjoyed it. When people gather around me to look at my performance, I would be encouraged to go on dancing,” he said.

He joined the lone female dancer of those days, Champa Devi in many performances throughout the country. He became a celebrity in the early days with scores of appointments to perform at weddings and public functions. His proudest moments as a performer came when he had to perform for Princess Margaret and for the then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi. He remembered those days as if it was yesterday. So fond of this memory that Mohammed managed a faint smile when describing his performance then. It took him a very long time to get ready for the stage because he always wanted to look his best. In the 60s, Nizam was contracted to teach dance at Community Centres and for the Prime Minister’s Best Village trophy competition. He boasts of teaching East Indian dancing to Oma Panday, the wife of former Prime Minister, Basdeo Panday. Talking about the dances of today he said that he is extremely happy to see so many young people involved in the art form. “This is really good to see that the younger ones haven’t forgotten their culture. They are getting involved and I am happy that I was able to pave the way for them,” he said.