Many laugh at him and many laugh with him. He is a serious comedian who is considered by some to be the king of comedy in TT. Looking into the eyes of Learie Joseph one can sense that there is more to life than the many jokes that come from his lips one after the other. He has a most interesting background  that led him to become  a stand- up comedian. He has the gift to take any serious issue and turn it into comedy. And if he was born in the USA, then comedians such as Bill Cosby, Chris Rock, Steve Harvey, Eddie Murphy and the Wayan brothers would have to take a back seat. Yet he says that he is blessed to be a Trinidadian and he would not trade his position for anything else in life.

Learie Joseph is a household name in Trinidad and Tobago. He is the one performer, thousands of patrons line up to see whether he is  in TT or any other Caribbean island. He literally makes you laugh until you cry. They say laughter is the best medicine — then Learie Joseph is indeed a doctor for he has the right dose of comedy to get you up and about. Looking at Learie one could never tell that this human being had one of the most difficult childhoods, but he was able to push himself up by maintaining a good sense of humour wherever he went. He told People that as a child he was left in the background. His father abandoned his mother and ran off with another woman. His mother had no choice but to take him to the Belmont Orphanage. While there he obeyed all the rules and was loved by the nuns. “You imagine getting angry with nuns? It can never happen. They are so peaceful that you have no choice but to maintain a certain attitude in their company,” he said.  
 
When Learie left the orphanage he did not have anywhere to go and he ended up sleeping in old cars and almost anywhere when night came. He took up doing odd jobs — washing cars and cleaning people’s business places for a little money. He remembers crying from hunger many times. He would screw up his face and cry for hours. After the tears dried up he realised that his situation was none the better, there was no one there to comfort him. So he laughed at himself for being so stupid in the first place. Today it is the screwed-up face that has earned him a successful career in comedy. His dark lean face can take the shape of misery and distress in an instant. The only thing is that there is no more misery or distress, There is only laughter and happiness for this gentleman who struggled through life until he found his niche in comedy. After spending many days living on the road, he got enough money, bought clothes and did some studying. 

Learie said he obtained five GCE subjects and landed a job at the Farmhouse Bakery. Later he applied for a job in a real estate company where he rose to administrative manager. This was certainly not the place for this joker. He wanted to make people laugh. “If you are angry or upset it causes lines on your face. You get old before your time, when you are always serious and upset. You must learn how to smile even through the worst situations. You must be able to find something funny to take your mind off the pain. When you find that laughter then you clear your thoughts and you can work again,” he related with humility. He has been able to reach the heights of success as a comedian that few comedians in TT have achieved. And he attributes this to his ability to stay focused on a topic and keep it as close to the ground as possible. His talent as joker has taken him to many parts of the world.

About his chosen profession, he commented: “If you have to make a joke out of any topic, then you have to look at it from all angles. You need to concentrate on the side of the story that no one else would think of, the side that is hilarious and outrageous. Then you have to bring across your story as simply and as effectively as possible,” he said. Today Learie’s face is seen in many advertisements. He is in demand on almost every stage where there is comedy in the Caribbean. He does not relax at all — he is always looking for new material. Learie will be celebrating 25 years as a comedian at the Grand Stand, Queen’s Park Savannah on October 4. “If you want to buss the stress, you know where to be. Come nah. Laugh a little. It will release the folds in the face and it will make the heart rejoice,” he said.

It still isn’t easy for Miss Fitness 2003 and the reigning TT Sport Aerobic Champion, Trishanti Rocke, to pose in a bikini in front of cricital judges, let alone a gawking audience. Even at the gym and during rehearsals with her trainer, Ian Levia, she would crouch her legs and fold her arms over her shoulders in an attempt to hide what she termed as one of her best physical assets, a well-defined upper body. The somewhat shy and physically fit Trishanti didn’t make it to this year’s Eastern Caribbean Championships due to a vehicular accident. While making her way to the event with a friend and fellow competitor, “we got a bad drive from a truck and ran into a wall”. Fortunately, the two came out unscathed. “Most of it was the shock and being shaken up. We were just glad we had no broken bones,” Trishanti told People. Trishanti’s 20 years old, and two years after entering the Fitness arena, she possesses the necessary ingredients — strength, flexibility and agility — to stay at the top of her game.

She’s not a bodybuilder, so you wouldn’t see the bulky biceps and muscular shoulders. Incidentally, Fitness Sport came out of bodybuilding. However, it entails mastering plyometric routines such as tuck and straddle jumps, cartwheels, somersaults and turn straddle moves, to name a few. Her brother, Gervais, though taller and younger than she is, oftentimes gets his laughs out of teasing her about being the stronger. “He says sometimes, ‘I have to come to your gym because your arms looking bigger than mine’,” said the Chaguanas resident. No doubt, she wears the outfits “that show off my assets and hide my flaws”. She gets the welcoming and “unwelcoming” eye of the opposite sex, which she believes comes “whether yuh big and flopping up or skinny. Men would always call you out.” She had no plans to enter this field. It was all in the name of getting fit for Carnival and fitting into her Hart’s costume when she met with Levia at the Trinidad and Tobago Fitness Academy, Cunupia. “I saw her and thought she had some potential and I said she would do well in fitness. I talked to her about it and didn’t think she was sold on that, but when I told her she would get a six-pack and this is how you would look, she said ‘yeah’,” said Levia.

Trishanti switched to competitive training, shedding some fat and building muscle. Levia confided: “When Trishanti started out, she couldn’t do one push up, maybe half of one. Now, on average, she could do 35 in one minute.” Training entailed four hours of work-out, four days a week, a change in diet and a deduction in social activities. Trishanti said, “I didn’t mind, it was all geared towards something and I liked it.” At the time, she had just completed A’level studies at St Augustine Girls High School. Her grades were excellent — A’s in Biology and English Literature and B’s in Chemistry and General Paper. Her plans were to pursue medicine. She’s a step closer to her ideals. Trishanti’s into her second-year of studies in medicine at Mt Hope Medical Sciences Complex. “It’s a lot of work, late night studies inclusive. You have to do a lot of the stuff on your own and I have to balance that with training.” For the most part, Trishanti is maintaining her balancing act because of her dedication to both activities. She was recently nominated for a distinction at school. Additionally, upon her debut at both competitions, she attained 1st place titles. “It’s not just the title,” she said, “but when you put in all the hard work and you see all the training pays off.” Apart from that, she has her parents’, Elizabeth and Selwyn Rocke, support and she’s keeping the boys at bay.

She described the feeling of being judged and on stage. “I try not to think about getting nervous. I tell myself, ‘Keep smiling,’ and then I study how I’m standing up, if my shoulders are crooked.” This year she made her second appearance at the World Sport Aerobic Championship in Miami, “coming ahead of three countries ”. “It was primarily for the experience and training tips and ideas. I’m working on at least making the semi-finals by next year,” she said. “It’s achievable, but it calls for a lot of hard work.”

In his elegant attire he mounted the stage of Central Bank Auditorium when his name was called as the winner of the ‘Best Musical Arranger prize.’ The strikingly handsome Vareendra Persad looked sexy in his black suit when he collected his award at the 103 Hall of Fame ceremony held recently.  There is no doubt that he is one of the most talented musicians in the country. His skilful fingers have been working magic on the synthesizer to ring out the oriental sounds for the many songs coming from the East and those created in the  Caribbean. His unique hairstyle and charming smile give him the starry look that has women screaming whenever he’s on stage. Although he seldom smiles, he is a pleasant and humble person. His music has been reaching millions of people worldwide.

As head of the award winning band, JMC Trevini, Veerendra remains one of TT’s most sought after musicians in many foreign countries. He is the man behind the music for many of the top compositions rendered by the local stars in TT. At an early morning interview with People, he was composed and peaceful as he sipped his coffee. He spoke about his hectic life as a musician and musical arranger. “There are times that I do not know what day it is. The day runs into the night and I am behind the synthesizer looking for the right chord for the many songs produced in this country. There are more than 50 artistes who have done scores of musical arrangements with JMC Trevini and this is a lot for a small country like Trinidad and Tobago,” he said. In the world of music time goes by quickly. “Many times I would enter the studio at 5 am and at 8 pm I come to see that the entire day has gone by and the musical interlude for a song has not yet been completed. The rough ends have been sharpened but the real rehearsal must now be done to complete the song,”

This may be a long and tedious job, but for Veerendra it is his life. It brings fulfillment. Veerendra composes music for the songs and he is the one behind the synthesizer on the stage through live performances. He has an opportunity to see the crowd’s response to his creative works in music. This experience really gives him the hype he needs to endure the long hours through performances and through rehearsals. Back in 1985, Veerendra was only 17 years old when he won the coveted prize on TTT’s Mastana Bahar. “It was a whirlwind of activities after that stint on Mastana. Every producer in TT and in many of the foreign countries were on my trail. I could not believe what was happening to me back then.” He was born in Tunapuna, attended the Tunapuna Hindu School before being transferred to Don Miguel Hindu School. He was exposed to the harmonium as a primary school student. He had gifted fingers and without any formal training he was able to play the right notes for many of the simple bhajan (religious songs) sang in school. Ten years after winning on Mastana, Veerendra went on to capture the New York’s Sunshine Award for Best Crossover Band in the Caribbean for three consecutive years — ‘96, ‘97 and ‘98. Veerendra then again went on to win the Indo-Caribbean TnT Best Music Awarded in ‘97,’ 98 and ‘99. Still high on the ladder of success he went on to take the award for the “Best Sounding Band” in downtown Carnival in 2002 and again in 2003 when he provided music for the band “Trini Revellers.” 

He has been doing back-up music for India’s top playback singer, Kumar Sanu as well as the celebrated Indian couple, Kanchan and Babla. Although there is more demand for his music in many of the North American countries, Veerendra still finds the time to perform for the local fans on a regular basis. His only regret in life is the fact that the music has him on the road and he does not have enough time to spend with his family. His sons Veeshal, 17, and Veeshan, 9, are also into music. Young Veeshal who is following in his father’s footsteps is finding the notes of the keyboard and the synthesizer in quick time, just like his father did so many years before. Veerendra will be in the country next month, after which he will be heading for the studios in Canada for the recording of his new CD. Apart from everything that is happening, Veerendra maintains a cool head. Out of the many years of experience the music comes to him naturally. “I believe life is a pleasant journey. One must find their rhythm and move accordingly,” he said.

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.