NCIC gets top award

“Practitioners were largely left to their own devices with no one to look after the broader interest of the very survival of our culture,” said President of the National Council of Indian Culture (NCIC), Deokienanan Sharma.

“Many pioneering individuals and groups gave of their time and talent in ensuring that our people were not deprived of listening to and participating in the culture that was brought to these shores by our forefathers,” he said when he addressed Independence celebrations at the Divali Nagar on Saturday night.

Sharma said Indian culture grew in TT despite the “lack of official support and no contact with Motherland India.”.

“A big leap forward took place with the introduction of the first Indian movie to the country, Bala Joban, and with more coming in frequently a new cultural landscape was born.”

He said artistes such as Tarran Persad, Champa Devi, Bhola Persad and Henry Toolum Dindial plus Isaac Yankaran, soon came to the fore together with musicians such as Nazeer Mohammed, SM Aziz, Jit Seesahai, and Narsaloo Ramaya.

Also gaining prominence was the first Indian programme on the airways in 1947 hosted by former Government Minister Kamaluddin Mohammed. From then, Sharma said, there was no stopping the growth of Indian culture in TT. Following this, Ramaya and Bisram Gopie, together with Farzan Ali and Professor B Bhattacharya established the National Council of Indian Art and Drama on July 19, 1964.

This name was later changed to the National Council of Indian Culture (NCIC), with Hansley Hanoomansingh serving as the first president under that new name.

The Programme first involved classical and folk dancing as well as music and famous songsters from India were also invited.

“We also ventured into many academic conferences with the Indian High Commission and at one point also had the president of India as our main guest (One Dr Sharma),” Sharma recalled.

“We also served on the Queen’s Hall Board, the National Carnival Commission, the National Planning Committee for Carifesta, the Prime Minister’s Race Relations Committee, and the PM Committee to determine the 150th Anniversary of Indian Arrival to TT.

“We have also been extending our roots to the rest of the Caribbean including Jamaica, Grenada, St Vincent, Martinique, and Guadeloupe.”

Sharma said the NCIC recently received a prestigious award from India for its promotion of cultural links on an international level.