Boodran dancing away at 61

The talented singer and dancer, Boodram Ramgoolam, 61, of Hermitage Village, San Fernando, has been, for decades,  travelling the length and breadth of this country doing the ancient East Indian traditional folk dance called the “Biraha.” Boodram who is employed with Caroni 1975 Limited as a foreman is married to Chandroutie Ram-goolam. The couple has four children, Visham, Vishnu, Arti and Shakti. 

This extremely versatile entertainer has taken many awards for his performances on the local stage. The walls of his home are decorated with scores of medals and certificates from groups such as Mere Desh, Palmiste Ramleela, Sanatan Dharma Mandalli, Princes Town Youths, Barrackpore Youths Action Innovators, Rio Claro Hindu Temple, Penal Mandir and programmes such as Mastana Bahar and Indian Variety. Speaking from his home in the quiet village on the outskirts of San Fernando, Ramgoolam said that it all began for him in 1964 when the people of the Tarouba Ramleela committee contacted him to play a character in the “ten day” drama of Ramleela. He was chosen to do the role because of his command of the Hindi language.  “I was all excited about this. And I took my role seriously. I prepared elaborate costuming and when I presented my character everyone was really impressed.” He recalled the days of November 1964 as if it was yesterday. He was quick to note that there are some things in life that a man can never forget and the memory of getting involved in the life story of Lord Rama remains fresh in his mind.

A typical night out for him saw hundreds of villagers gathered around a playground, which was the stage for the unfolding drama. The characters danced to tassa drums while performing various roles. “This was one of the most spectacular events for the village people who could not enjoy the luxuries of going to the cinemas and to the town for any kind of entertainment,” he said. Ramgoolam learnt the dance from narrations given by his father, Ramgoolam Matthai (now 98 years old). He developed the footworks by practicing what is father taught him. And the works of the folk songs came from the Ramayan (Holy text of Hindus). Ramgoolam was brought up in a strict religious surrounding, where his father spoke Hindi all the time. “My father believed that the English words could not describe what he had to say to his children so he encouraged all of us to learn Hindi. I am happy that he did bring us up along the religious road; today I am reaping the rewards of maintaining this disciplined lifestyle,” he said, nodding proudly.    

Ramgoolam said he learnt to sing with rhythm from listening to his father sing chowtal (folk songs sang for the Phagwa festivals in TT) songs. The festivals of Pha-gwa and Div-ali provided exciting pastimes for Ramgoolam while he was a boy growing up in his hometown. He distinctly remembers the sound of the jaal (brass instrument) that makes an enchanting sound when accompanying the chowtal songs. “As children we valued the festivals because we had nothing else to look forward to. Today the children are exposed to all sorts of shows on television and on the Internet. And I believe that they cannot appreciate these festivals and arts because they really don’t take the time to get involved,” he said. It is his wish that his grand children follow the art of dancing the Biraha. “I would like to see this tradition being upkept. If any of my grand children take up this artform my life will be complete,” he said. Ramgoolam spends a lot of time composing his Biraha songs for the weekend performances. He takes simple everyday stories about people and puts it in story form, in Hindi and while many people do not understand Hindi, Ramgoolam’s powerful voice laced with the sound of tassa drums in the background hold their attention. In this regard, Ramgoolam thrilled the audience at the Rousillac Community Centre where he was invited to perform at the Mastana audition last Sunday afternoon.