Twenty participated in the semi-final round and the following ten will be moving on to the Divali Nagar final on October 15: Shiv Tandava Dance Group, Nritya Sangam Dance Group, Bollywood Dance Academy, Kiss Natraj Dance Group, Karan Rampersad, Tridevi Dance Group, Khalnayak Dance Academy, Amritam Shakti Dance Group, Vedanta Suraj and Asha Maharaj and Priya Persad.

In the song category ten finalists were chosen: Stephon Jaikaran, Akshay Khandoo, Jovam Luke Rambaran, Cherish Ragoonanan, Prakash Ramcharan, Abhijit Anchotassoo, Vishala Valya Dowtal, Renaldo Balgobin, Kimlyn Crystal Boodram, Sapna Seepaul and Satyam Vishesh Bridgelal.

PRO of the NCIC, Surujdeo Mangaroo said that this year’s Divali presentation promises to be exciting.

“These dancers and singers are extremely talented,” he said, adding that he expects a spectacular Youth Champ contest this year.

The council will honour Pundit Hardeo Persad who is the head of SWAHA in TT. Persad is the recipient of the Medal of Merit Award for Public Service in 2011. He is a past teacher of St George’s College, Barataria and Sangre Grande Junior Secondary School and special teacher Morvant/ Laventille Secondary School. He is also a former cricket coach.

He is the founder of the Aranjuez Cultural Organisation and president of the Gyaan Deepak Kirtan Mandali of Aranjuez Main Road, San Juan. Persad also served as a secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Fiver Rivers, Arouca.

He is the director of Swaha Social Services and established the Swaha Vishok Bhavan (Children’s Home) in Penal (2008). He also set up SWAHA ‘s first pre-school in Aranjuez and first secondary school in Sangre Grande.

In 2011 Persad lead a team of religious teachers to Mathura, India, which is believed to be the home of Bhagavan Krishna.

Why am I not surprised? Their captain correctly predicted they would play their opponent in the final four times in the tournament.

He was right.

The venue was filled to capacity for the big final. Somebody must have laughed all the way to the bank. If I am to be truthful, I absolutely enjoyed looking at the scantily dressed women wining in a lewd and suggestive manner while allegedly advertising certain products. What that has to do with cricket I know not, but who cares.

And we celebrated Halloween early, dressing up from captain to cook. While we were in a modern- day version of The Emperor’s New Clothes, England won the Test series, beating a second- string West Indies team.

Winning these fete matches does nothing to improve West Indies cricket, sorry to say. The batting techniques, hitting across the line, is all wrong. Is this the type of cricket we want? Fetematch cricket? For what it is worth, congratulations to the Knight Riders.

Brings back memories of Kerry Packer’s circus in the 70s.

AV RAMPERSAD Princes Town

North East have tallied 18 points after nine games, and sit atop the 10-team standings, while Club Sando are on third spot with 17 points. W Connection also have 17 points, and a superior goal difference over Club Sando.

If the North East-Club Sando game ends in a draw, W Connection can move up to first place once they get the better of reigning champs Central FC in the second match at Couva.

Fourth-placed San Juan Jabloteh will head to the St James Barracks to meet Police at 6 pm while, simultaneously, Point Fortin Civic will be entertain fellow strugglers Morvant Caledonia United at the Mahaica Oval, Point Fortin.

Any operation or hospital stay will invoke some agitation or even fear in a patient and I was somewhere between those two emotions when I entered the facility.

It was an early morning operation and I arrived at 5.45 am and was immediately seen to by the receptionist and administration personnel.

I was then whisked away to the ward and in a matter of minutes the nurses were fussing over me as they took my vitals. At least three doctors came to introduce themselves and take me through the process but it is my favourite doctor, Dr Khan, who settled my nerves.

By his calm and controlled demeanour, Khan proved that he is not just an extraordinary doctor, he is also an exceptional human being.

I write this letter to let people know that we are capable of excellent customer service in this country because that is what I received from this institution.

The nurses carried out their duties with dignity, professionalism and compassion and I left that hospital feeling overwhelmed with gratitude that we still have such caring people among us.

Thank you all my wonderful doctors, nurses, administration staff, security personnel and wheelchair attendants. I am forever grateful for your kindness.

R JAMES Tunapuna

Under-11, Under- 12 and Under-14 teams, which included boys and girls, represented the San Fernando Sports Academy at the tournament which was held on August 19 and 20.

All the San Fernando teams won at least one match in the group stage.

The San Fernando Sports Academy Under-11 unit won 3-2 against Clermont FC, while the Under- 12 team drew 2-2 against Lake County Soccer Club and won 4-0 against North Lakeland Rowdies.

The Under-14 team won 8-0 over North Lakeland Rowdies.

The San Fernando Under-11 team finished third in the group stage, the Under-12s finished second and the Under- 14s were third.

Only the top team in each group qualified for the second phase of the tournament.

The San Fernando Academy also took time to travel to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida to support the national Under- 15 team against Canada in the CONCACAF Under-15 Tournament.

The Academy also had a training session and played friendly games against Football Club 66 from Japan at IMG Academy.

Head coach Curtis Darbasie and technical director Preston Nanan were pleased with the results and the exposure the players, coaches and parents gained from this international experience.

The Academy thanked the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, The National Lottery Control Board, Royal Bank Limited, Atlantic LNG, Central Bank, Kee-Chanona Ltd, PR Contracting, Process Energy (Trinidad) Limited, Kasim Khan Transport and Evacuation Company, Police Credit Union and the friends and parents of San Fernando Sports Academy for all their support in making the trip possible.

For six years no international cricket was played in Pakistan following an armed attack by militants on the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009 in Lahore, Pakistan.

Six members of the Sri Lankan team, two officials and a reserve umpire were injured in the attack which also saw six police officers and two civilians killed.

In 2015, Zimbabwe toured Pakistan for a T20 and an ODI series – the first time a Test playing nation toured Pakistan since the 2009 incident.

In a press release last week, PCB chairman Najam Sethi announced the Windies tour for a three-match T20 series set for Lahore in November.

“The agreement with the West Indies Cricket Board has been finalised and done and they have confirmed they will come to Lahore in November to play three T20 Internationals,” Sethi said.

In a brief interview with Newsday yesterday, Hinds seemed unsure if a series between Pakistan and West Indies will take place.

Asked to comment on the security issues leading up to the Pakistan series, Hinds said: “Pakistan series against who?” When Newsday told Hinds he was being asked about the Pakistan- West Indies series at the end of November, Hinds replied, “I don’t know if there is a series so I can’t give a speech on that.” Some of the West Indies players may be nervous to travel to Pakistan following a security concern involving Trinidad and Tobago cricketer Rayad Emrit in Afghanistan last week, another country ravaged by acts of terrorism.

Emrit escaped injury while playing for Boost Defenders in the Shpageeza Cricket League in Afghanistan on Wednesday, when a suicide bomber killed at least three people and injured a dozen just outside the Kabul International Cricket Ground in which he was playing.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) president Dave Cameron, who was in Pakistan on Friday, has said the West Indies players have the power to decide if the tour of Pakistan will take place.

Cameron was speaking at the conclusion of the Independence Series involving Pakistan and a World XI which concluded in Lahore, last week. West Indians Darren Sammy and Samuel Badree lined up for the World XI – an initiative to show the International Cricket Council (ICC) that Pakistan is safe and ready to host international cricket once again.

Cameron made it clear that the tour will depend on the security reports after the conclusion of Independence Cup, mentioning that CWI has no intention of forcing any player who doesn’t wish to undertake the tour.

The CWI said WIPA has a major role in deciding if the Pakistan tour will take place. “Here, Pakistan’s board makes decisions (regarding where to tour). My board’s a little bit different, with the West Indies Players Association also having a big say — and we have to respect their decision.”

Too many times negative things are said about this community and it is my hope that more youth who are involved with gangs and drugs will give up this senseless lifestyle and begin to dare to dream like Pantin and do positive things for this nation.

This is another wake-up call to our nation’s youth to dare to dream in the midst of a corrupt, barbaric and violent society.

Women are being raped and their throats slit by heartless criminals.

Stress levels are running high, while patience is running low. But there is still hope.

Pantin is proof that you can be successful and make your friends and loved ones proud by simply believing in yourself and dedicating your life to your passion.

The world has been literally transformed by men and women who dared to dream.

Men like Mahatma Gandhi who dared to dream that the Indian people could have been freed from British rule. Men like Barack Obama who dared to dream that he could become the first black president of the US and that a change was coming. Martin Luther King dared to dream that a time would come when men and women would no longer be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.

Ne i ghb ourho o d crime prevention is an important strategy in the fight against crime because it affects the fear and perception of crime as well as the actual prevalence of crime. If members of the community are participating in crime prevention, their perception and fear of crime may also diminish.

There are many different approaches to neighbourhood crime prevention. The attempt is to establish a cohesive and socially aware community where crime cannot flourish. Also, we need to teach our young men and women to pursue positive dreams and reach for the stars.

We need to engage in a concept called target hardening in crime affected areas. This technique involves making it physically more difficult for the potential offender to engage and be successful in criminal activity. Installation of deadbolt locks in doors, the latest anti- theft devices, using steering wheel locks for cars, and putting iron bars on windows are just a few examples of target hardening.

The recent surge of cybercrime has made it increasingly necessary to address issues of privacy.

Computer users must protect themselves from victimisation by installing the latest software that has the ability to defend against potential intrusion by hackers and other cyber criminals.

Citizens can take an active role in preventing crime, preventing victimisation and reducing the fear of crime on Nelson Street and other crime-affected communities.

We need more Pantins and less criminals.

SIMON WRIGHT Chaguanas

I had been invited to the event by Cindy Chadband who co-ordinated the programme which ran from 1 pm to 2.30 pm. The entire school — students and teachers — was present at the auditorium. Female teachers, in particular, were resplendent in African wear.

The event helped to reinforce my previous statements that Emancipation Day is a spiritual occasion and that it may be observed in the days before, after or on the day itself.

The event began with prayer and the singing of the national anthem. One student rendered Bob Marley’s Redemption Song and calypsonian Luta (Morel Peters) sang How Free are We and a spiritual calypso, Victory.

Furthermore, the student body, primarily African and East Indian, made it clear that Emancipation Day should be observed by everybody in TT . They cheered Luta lustily and they received my presentation with marked intent.

I was later taken on a visit to the school’s Emancipation Day display which was mounted in the library.

There were items of clothing, artefacts and posters which carried information about various aspects of the African experience.

Gasparillo Secondary was not the first school to have an Emancipation Day celebration but, as one teacher told me, the fact that the day falls during the school vacation limits the capacity of schools to fully involve the students.

However, Gasparillo Secondary proved otherwise, more so as this was the first time the school held its celebration.

Nonetheless there are two suggestions I want to make about when schools are having their events, before or after Emancipation Day.

One idea is to find links between the school and its catchment area with regard to its African heritage.

Selected students can research and make short presentations to the other students at the celebrations.

The information may be taken from the culinary arts, religious activities, domestic life, collective wisdom, such as proverbs, traditional stories and African history within the community.

For example, I peaked their interest with the history of Africans in Gasparillo and surrounding communities. I asked if they knew that rebel enslaved Africans (Maroons) ran away from the estates and settled in places like Mayo. That in 1832 Africans on the Plein Palais Estate, Pointe-a- Pierre, set the estate on fire and retreated to the forested areas of Caratal and Gasparillo to escape being shot by the militia.

That Yoruba people settled in Gasparillo.

That before the 20th century African Muslims (Hausas) lived at Guaracarite (Hausa or Houssa Road) and in Mayo. And so on.

The other suggestion that I wish to make is that schools may select calypsoes for performance at Emancipation Day celebrations from the NACC/NYAC Emancipation Calypso Competition.

There is a repertoire of emancipation calypsoes in existence for 21 years — from 1997 to the present time.

I hope Gasparillo Secondary and other schools have many more Emancipation Day celebrations.

AIYEGORO OME Mt Lambert

This will be held on Sunday, October 8 with heats for the regatta taking place on October 7.

Currently in its eleventh year, the regatta will include various categories of races for local teams representing schools and business organisations. The premier event is the Ambassador’s Cup, sponsored by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China.

The cultural programme will feature authentic Chinese art forms as well as local versions adapted to the Trinidad and Tobago flavours.

Featured will be the Trinidad and Tobago Chinese Steel Ensemble established in 2006 for the bicentennial, providing entertainment throughout the day.

October 12, 2017 will commemorate the 211th anniversary of the arrival of the first group of 194 Chinese men who travelled to our shores on the Fortitude.

From this first group, many local Chinese Associations have emerged some of which continue to exist today and contribute meaningfully to the society of Trinidad and Tobago.

FOR years, many women and even men have been searching for happiness hoping to find it in someone or something and unfortunately it can’t be found in neither of the two.

Happiness is not rare, as it resides inside each of us but because we allow ourselves to become distracted by elements in the external environment, some die without experiencing it. Happiness is indeed a subjective issue, but at the end of the day, it’s all about you, it’s that emotion that says I love who I am, I am proud to be me and I was born for a purpose.

The business of happiness is likened to that of a sole trader as it starts and ends with self-love and appreciation of oneself.

You can’t experience happiness if you’re unhappy with who you are; continuously worry about what others think and say about you; comparing your life to others or set unachievable goals.

There is a whole host of other negatives and/ or distractions that create a wall between you and your happiness.

Many also err in thinking that having lots of money and other material things would make them happy, when in fact those things are basic resources required to enhance the standard of living for you and your families. We have instances and/or stories of some of the richest in the world who are unhappy and that’s because happiness and materialism are not totally related.

Happiness is usually accompanied by some core characteristics including feeling satisfied with the direction of your life; holding yourself in high esteem and being able to admit to your mistakes and shortcomings.

Happiness can also be achieved through finding satisfaction in simple pleasures and in your relationships –both intimate and family; maintaining an optimistic outlook on life; viewing setbacks and mistakes as opportunities for growth as opposed to failures, and being able to change your lenses of life in accordance with circumstances.

Finding and creating happiness is simple.

Start by thanking God for life; have a sense of purpose – set realistic goals and pursue them with vigour; maintain healthy relationships which would add to your basket of positive energy – once you feel negative vibes in any relationship and/or collaboration, remove yourself immediately.

Always live in the present moment as expending energy reliving your past is a recipe for disaster and frustration. Be grateful for the smallest things in life as that approach improves your life’s purpose. Life is not perfect and therefore it’s important to identify at least one person with whom you can share confidential information and who in turn can provide emotional support as no man is an island.

Happiness is a free gift – catch it now.

Sandrine Rattan is a communications/ branding consultant, author and president of the International Women’s Resource Network (IWRN) Contact: thecorporatesuitett@ gmail.com or intlwomensresourcenetwork@ gmail.com or contact 283-0318.