It is bumpy, wavy and dangerous.

The UNC must be blamed for this dilapidated road, which is a main road to get to Bejucal Village.

This road has been in disrepair for decades.

I am now appealing to the Government to expand and pitch this road for light and heavy vehicles and drivers.

It is unfortunate that the UNC neglected this particular road.

I believe that before Christmas Warren Road will be fixed.

AHAMAD KHAYYAM Curepe

Since the eclipse cannot be seen with the naked eye, Muslims must have relied on astronomical calculation to determine the exact time when the moon eclipses the sun.

Perhaps astronomical calculation would now be the norm in determining the sighting of the moon for Eid and thus bring about closure to the annual controversy with respect to the sighting of the moon.

IMAAM IQBAL HYDAL Felicity

That changed two weekends ago when I had a guest, and we decided to rediscover this natural treasure. What a wonderful experience it was.

As we drove into the Store Bay car park, we were approached by a young man who politely enquired if we would like to visit the reef.

The other touts did not descend upon us as I had expected, and in no time we completed our transaction.

It would seem the Division of Tourism has been doing some training of our young entrepreneurs and they are to be complimented for that. I certainly complimented the young man on his cordial manner.

Our boat was scheduled to leave at 2.30 pm and with some time on our hands, I decided to take my friend to Fort Bennett in Black Rock. She had never been there, and she was as delighted as I was at the serene beauty of this little fort.

Again, kudos to the division for a very well-kept site and pleasant staff manning the security booth.

Soon we were back at Store Bay and at the designated time, we clambered eagerly aboard. It was plain sailing out to the reef under the expert guidance of captain Wendell and his crew — no travel woes here. The rains of the previous days made the waters slightly turbid but, nonetheless, we were able to see a lot of the flora and fauna. Of course, there were not as many fish as in former times, but I was relieved that there was still some life on the reef. I even spotted a small manta ray.

The highlight of the trip, however, was undoubtedly Nylon Pool.

I don’t know where else in the world one can bathe safely “in the middle of the ocean” but here we were, young and old, splashing happily in water that was warm and no more than three feet deep.

We adults took turns using the coarse sand on one another to exfoliate necks, arms and legs, and I was very touched that some of the crew even assisted the older people.

And yes, I can’t forget the music.

As soon as we left the boat to have our swim, the music began in earnest and even the little ones joined in the chorus of “take a bathe” and “we jammin’ still.” No one could resist. All too soon it was back on board, and after a brief stop at No Man’s Land, we were on the return trip to Store Bay. The three-hour outing was truly wonderful and I believe we got good value for our money.

I compliment the captain and his crew for their professionalism, and I encourage all stakeholders to continue enhancing our tourism product, in spite of the challenges.

We in TT have been blessed with so many natural wonders that we often take them for granted. Let us give God thanks for these great gifts and resolve to protect and preserve them for future generations.

BERNADETTE PHILLIPS via email

This can help us in balancing our Budget for this fiscal year and next (jackpot US$350 million).

The law is still there with respect to appointing a Commissioner of Police (foreign).

Why doesn’t the Police Service Commission, along with the Chief Personnel Officer, invite Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte to be our next commissioner.

Let the man clean up all the gang members and drug lords. Just look at the Philippines.

Our current President’s term is due to expire next March.

Our parliamentarians should look to amending the Constitution to have a foreigner appointed as President and should all agree that the first appointee be no other than Kim Jong-un of North Korea.

ANDREW MORRIS Chaguanas

The word “school,” which derives from a Greek word for leisure, is now associated with stress-producing frenetic activity as the pressures of a demanding curriculum (a word derived from a Latin word for race course!) increase the frequency and intensity of testing and grading that soon become tools for labelling the personal worth of the student from pre-school to graduate level.

Part of the problem, which is not peculiar to this period of history though we experience it with particular intensity, arises from the changes in the way the societies of the world operate, changes which are not uniform or linear. So, for example, information technology and traditional worldviews form an uneasy coalition which brings into sharp relief issues of inequality of access based on economics, gender perceptions, class barriers and geographical location.

By far the most significant contributor to the stressors of education is the confusion about the purpose of education. Do we set out for school on Monday morning for our personal enhancement so that the individual develops a cultural identity and a personal autonomy as well as acquiring a set of skills and information that will enable her to establish a career? Or do we expend vast quantities of resources on schooling for the benefit of society, shaping individuals into good citizens, productive members of the society who can promote economic growth and preserve the dominant culture? Of course, there is no either or distinction, both the development of the individual and the enhancement of society are the proper concerns of the activity of education. The challenge lies in the balance between the two ends. From the perspective of Catholic anthropology, the person is never a means to an end, a human person is always an end in himself.

This is because each individual is a unique creation of the love of God. Applying this to the establishment and operation of schools in a multi-cultural society where the values of power, acquisitiveness and a perception of scarce resources inevitably seep into the value system of the faith-based school demands clarity of vision, courage and creativity.

These qualities have always been available to leaders and thinkers who, basing their efforts in the faith that shapes their view of humankind and of the world, have crafted solutions to seemingly intractable problems in various areas of endeavour.

Our national community is not bereft of such persons. Given the seriousness of the issues raised by the current crises in schooling from the reluctance of persons to serve as educators to the suicide of students in the systems, it is urgent for such thinkers and scholars to undertake the thankless, but vital task of educational reform.

In east and west Trinidad, the festival is just over 25 years old, these areas having adopted the tradition later than south Trinidad where the Penal/Debe area has been celebrating it for well over one hundred years. It began as a farmer’s festival according to sources at the Suchit Trace Mandir in Penal.

Suchit Trace and the Ramai Trace Mandirs are two of the earliest known sites for the festival.

It was a time of drought. The then Puzzle Island, (now the site of the Suchit Trace temple), was inhabited by a few East Indians who had moved away from plantations in the early 1900s and established a small community.

The Elephant-Headed god (Gajanananda) was propitiated for relief from the drought. As the remover of obstacles Ganesh is the first to be worshipped by Hindus at the beginning of any task. Sources could not confirm where the tradition of visarjan (immersion) of the clay image had come from. It had always been a practice in their community that they have carried on for over a century.

The image of Ganesh is perhaps one of the best representations of the Trinidadian Hindu, in fact, the Trinidadian herself. The combination of man, animal and God representative of this hybridization of an identity that bestows us with the privilege of imagination for this in-betweenness of the diaspora grants us unbounded creativity.

Richard Rampersad, a young, upcoming local artist for instance has several drawings of this divine figure. When asked why this preoccupation he ascribes it to his attraction towards the hybrid, perhaps the reason for his love of the image of the god.

Ganesh is the divine scribe, another aspect of the divinity that makes him an appropriate representation of our diasporic condition.

He is symbolic of our fluid identities, an identity that allows us to re-tell our stories, to re-invent narratives.

“The re-telling of literature, has always been a part of Hindu tradition,” Raviji, founder and former leader of the Hindu Prachar Kendra, says. And Ganesh takes the oral narrative of the sage Vyas and enshrines it in the written text which he himself notates. He is chosen by the sage because of his intelligence and writes on the condition that the sage does not stop his narrative.

Writing a text dictated in the ancient Sanskrit language also required knowledge of the intricate grammatical rules and rhythm of the language.

Given that the Mahabharata is one of the longest epic poems in the world, also would have required a scribe bestowed with the patience to sit through the oral transmission of what is a highly complex narrative and the intelligence to follow not only the main flow but that of the many other narratives within the text. One story surrounding the broken tusk of Ganesh is related to this writing. During the writing of the epic, his pen wears out. In order that the flow of the writing continued unbroken, he breaks off one of his tusks and uses it as a pen.

These stories are all symbolic material for an interpretation of the importance of this divinity to a society like ours, for the creation of the Caribbean diaspora is in itself an epic narrative, stories within stories, layered and still evolving.

There is always scope, for our island is new and we are yet to build further narratives. Here, founded on societies steeped in oral traditions we have the facility to rework these and adapt them for our own uses.

For most Hindus, Ganesh is the first deity to be worshipped before any undertaking. The eleven-day festival dedicated to this divinity has grown phenomenally but, apart from the joys of community and the inevitable personal pride some take in the size of the image on display, it is also prudent to remember the symbolism inherent in Ganesh.

Not only does he represent the power of the intelligence, but he is also the power of creativity, persistence and the patience to narrate ourselves. For us, perhaps he is an appropriate symbol of the privileges of diaspora. The Ganesh Festival ends on Tuesday.

However, TM is not just about relaxing but tapping into your intelligence and creativity, and improving efficiency.

National Director of the Maharishi Institute of Science and Technology, Dr David Lee Sheng Tin, explained that TM was the most effective programme for reducing stress and anxiety, increasing creativity, normalising blood pressure, reducing insomnia, and getting deep rest and energy for the day.

“It is not a programme for just sitting down and feeling relaxed. It is one to improve your efficiency in activity but it also helps society.” Lee Sheng Tin believed TM would be extremely beneficial to society for two reasons.

He said research indicated that TM reduced incidents of crime and violence, from school violence and road rage to domestic violence. It also increased productivity.

“There have been over 600 scientific researches done on this programme by institutions in more than 30 countries for over the past 50 years.

So it is the most researched programme for human development.” He went on to say that stress was the main factor that plagued society. He explained when people were stressed, the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is responsible for moral reasoning and practical decisions, shuts off, and the amygdala, which he described as the ‘emotional centre’ of the brain, takes over.

“The person now becomes impulsive, reactive, and over emotional.” Lee Sheng Tin described society as a tree with branches, leaves and fruit.

He said if the branches were braking, the leaves were dry and the fruit stopped bearing, the farmer would look for the source, the nourishment in the soil.

“What nourishes society? The minds of individuals.

When individuals in society are very stressed, and with the kind of economic downturn we have right now people are very stressed, then the brain can not function properly.

They become very reactive and very emotionally unstable.” He said people were trying to fix individual problems instead of dealing with the root cause, which was stress. He added that when people were tired, did not eat a proper diet, lacked exercise, and had financial problems, it contributed to stress.

Lee Sheng Tin said research on people like psychopaths and serial killers found that their prefrontal cortex was shut down so they did not see anything wrong with their actions, which was why rehabilitation is difficult.

“If you don’t have a way of putting the prefrontal cortex back online then prisons are just universities of crime. That is why the rate of recidivism is so high.” According to Lee Sheng Tin, when someone practises TM, the mind and body relaxes and goes into a deep rest within the first ten minutes.

This ten minutes equals five to six hours of normal sleep.

He added that normal sleep was usually not enough to get rid of deep-rooted tensions which could overload the nervous system and cause a burn out, which was why seemingly healthy people suffered heart attacks and strokes.

The various areas of the brain also becomes orderly and energy levels in the brain becomes balanced.

“It is this increased orderliness and rest of the brain that allows the system to settle down and puts the prefrontal cortex back online.” “Within every human being is a source of infinite energy, creativity, intelligence, and happiness, and that source is what we call our inner intelligence. When the connection between our inner intelligence and our thinking process is broken.

It is like you no longer have access to the reservoir of intelligence and creativity within and then everything gets scattered.” “Once you learn how to go within, then nothing stops you because transcendental meditation gives you the key to access the storehouse of power within yourself. The great thing is it’s very simple and effortless to do. You don’t have to change your lifestyle, your religion, your beliefs or your diet. Once you have been trained how to go within, it’s very easy.” Lee Sheng Tin told Sunday Newsday over 7,000 people in TT practice TM and many cardiologists send their patients to the Maharishi Institute to learn the technique.

He said well-being was not just mental and physical health but a person’s emotional state as well.

He said the emotional state could be measured by how quickly a person bounced back from setbacks and disappointment; their financial well-being and how they handle their money; interpersonal relationships on and off the job; and career and purpose in life.

He said in 2006, the programme was introduced at the Swaha Hindu College. The director at the time, Prakash Persad, said it resulted in a “marked decrease” in student misbehaviour, as well as improved academic performance.

It is also a good idea for teachers who often have to deal with challenging students.

In 2015, TM was introduced to Holy Trinity High School in Jamaica. Principal Margaret Brissett-Bolt said it helped the children gain a sense of self, and the number of fights and suspensions decreased significantly. In addition, the lowest performing class was instructed in TM and over a few months, it became the highest performing class.

Lee Sheng Tin said he had been speaking to governments and institutions about the benefits of TM for over 20 years. He said while they agreed TM would be beneficial, the officials were afraid the public would think it was a religious practice and would protest against the programme.

He hoped that one school try it as a pilot project. He suggested the school take one class and run the programme for six months and reap the benefits of well-being.

It seems no real focus has been placed on this matter and yes, the taxpayers are the ones who bear these bills.

There is also an issue whereby these illegal immigrants usually state they did not commit any crime in TT. Really? Isn’t a crime when you break a law? Did they not break our immigration laws? Yes, they may not have committed any crime of violence like murder, robbery etc but they broke our laws. However, the punishment is deportation and this we must do promptly.

Our current deportation backlog points to a much larger problem of the criminal justice system where there are long delays in investigations, trials, sentencing etc. Just look at the Remand Yard situation and you will see great similarities with some people are awaiting trials for over ten years. We need systemic changes to how things are done otherwise we will be spinning top in mud, as they say.

IAN RAMDHANIE via email

He turns 60 tomorrow, September 4.

Bisnath, founder of the San Fernando School of Arts Sports and Culture of Henry Street, San Fernando, is doing it the moko jumbie way. On September 10, which he has dubbed Moko Jumbie Day, Bisnath hopes to rally, among other moko jumbies, the hundreds of stilt walkers he has tutored for the last two decades to Skinner Park, San Fernando.

He has chosen this venue to create what, he hopes, will be history, as he will be attempting to better the Guinness Book of World Records’ entry for the largest gathering of moko jumbies in one place. The existing record is 959 stilt-walking students from 17 schools at Winkelhart Spijkenisse, Netherlands, on September 16, 2011.

Bisnath, however, is even more ambitious. Since 2017 is a milestone year for him, his aim is to have 2,017 moko jumbies on show– everyone dressed in national colours of red, white and black.

Early last month, he had just over the 700 mark but to go after the record he needed to get many more moko jumbies.

He invited all interested in being part of this history-making event, including families, clubs and social groups, for daily training in stilt walking for the big day on “second ground” at Skinner Park.

Bisnath said the excitement has quietly built up. He added that among those in training were two senior citizens, 70, and, 78, and he expected stilt walkers from the neighbouring islands, whom he has trained in the past, to return for the event.

For those coming to witness the largest gathering of moko jumbies in the country, Bisnath is asking that they walk with non-perishable food items to donate to the less fortunate.

He is also asking for school items such as copy books, pens and pencils.

Spectators will, for the first time, see him mount the stilts in public– he said his stilts would be built out of matchsticks “and matchsticks alone.” In an interview with Sunday Newsday, Bisnath said: “This is my way of saying thanks to God, family, friends and employer for the support over the years.” For the past 22 years, Bisnath has been changing lives not only in his community and environs but across the length and breath of TT and even the region through the art form of stilt walking. He has turned his home at Henry Street into a school and the street has become a training ground.

At any given time, students could be seen practising up and down the hills of San Fernando. Bisnath boasts of a presence of the art form in most public and private schools whether at the level of kindergarten, primary or secondary school.

His motto remains Say yes to life–Get high on stilts.

“Everybody wants to walk stilts, it’s like the latest craze,” Bisnath told Sunday Newsday as he went on to explain how popular the art has become.

“When a parent or a teacher brings a child to train, the adults themselves get involved and learn to walk.” Moko jumbies are part of most national celebrations. Bisnath said he worked with a number of local celebrities who were in love with the art form.

“It is not a grass-roots thing,” he added. “I often privately train the children of some of the nation’s leading personalities to walk on stilts. Moko jumbie is big.” Moko jumbies are in demand and he now trains as many as 100 stilt walkers in a day.

Training starts for children from as early as three years of age. One of his sons began walking on stilts at the age of 11 months. He is now 16 years and one of the leading stilt walkers in the country.

The San Fernando School of the Arts, Sports and Culture has a core of 40 strong and disciplined stilt walkers who are often called upon to fly the flag both home and abroad. He said discipline was key in the school as only the best of his students would be allowed to represent the organisation.

“Yes, my students have to be at the top of their game to be on the road,” Bisnath said. “I do not tolerate indiscipline.” On Moko Jumbie Day in Skinner Park, Bisnath will have the support of steelband, calypso and mas.

“Traditional mas is getting the support as we attempt to break the world record,” he said.

Bisnath has received the blessings of the San Fernando Mayor Junia Regrello and the San Fernando City Council in his latest endeavour.

Regrello said, “As a hard-working San Fernandian, we are supporting him. He has been a soldier for the art form over the years and has kept San Fernando on the map.” Interested persons can contact 364-2706/750-3301 or email junior_ bisnath @yahoo.com Facebook: juniorbisnath/whatsapp

My condolences to the bereaved family. He died doing what he loved.

I remember making that same trek in 1979. I wish therefore to offer some timely advice: * Ensure the hiking guide is competent.

A member of the Hiking Guides Association.

Not just someone with a cutlass.

Everyone is an expert.

* Ensure the hike is suitable for all.

* Communicate with the police station in the area on arrival and departure.

* Be fit.

* Wear appropriate footwear and clothing. This is not a fashion show.

* Have a map of the area and compass.

* Wear a hat.

* Use a backpack. Have your hands free.

* Wear sunglasses.

* Take along extra food, water.

* Have rain gear and extra clothing.

* Take along matches, a torchlight and a whistle.

* Have a first aid kit and a qualified first aider.

* Have a knife or multipurpose tool.

* Stick together, this is not a race.

* Maintain regular checks on all personnel.

When things go well everyone wants to take the credit. When something goes wrong nobody is responsible.

We need a buddy system. Why and how was this brother able to slip away? We must ensure a similar accident never happens again. We all need to learn from this. My safety, your safety is our responsibility.

AV RAMPERSAD Princes Town