Her mother sat beside her and pumped the pedals to generate the music for the hymns at the Morton Memorial Church, where she eventually became musical director for many years. She carved out a brilliant record of academic achievement from Guaico Presbyterian School, through Arima High School then to St Joseph’s Convent, and then abroad to McGill University and later to London University, where she majored in piano performance and the teaching of music. She won scholarships, one after the other at these prestigious institutions.

In Canada she gained experience with the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC), as well as in recitals in Montreal and in Vermont, USA. In England, she served as pianist with the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

Mahase-Samaroo was the first Trinidadian pianist invited to appear in concert recitals at Queen’s Hall during its inaugural fund-raising concerts. Here she played mainly classical pieces. But then she was a true Trini, who very early saw the tremendous potential of the steel pan and so she adapted easily to this genre. In 1962, the SAGHS’ choir was the first in the country to appear accompanied by a steel orchestra, first at the school, and then from 1967 regularly at Queen’s Hall and other venues. Said the eulogist: “Mum was the first musician to write and arrange musical scores for steelpan and choir. By this time too, as a true Trini, she had added a full range of Caribbean music to her ever-widening repertoire.

Who can forget the choir’s rendition of Mangoes, or Every time ah pass, you whistling me, or Take me down to Los Iros but doh let me mother know?” “How well do we remember her enchanting accompaniment at weddings, speech days, funerals and anniversaries right here in Curepe and in many other areas across the country? How well do we remember the positive vibes which the nation received from Radio Sunday School during the decade of the 1960s when mum and dad journeyed to Port-of-Spain in their Volkswagen beetle on Sunday afternoons after they had conducted morning worship in far-off places like Cunaripo, Cumuto and Guaico? In the dark of December nights this tireless woman would be at the head of a carolling group walking towards the Cumuto police station or the Guaico-Tamana Presbyterian School, daring to go where the brave dared not go.” Mahase-Samaroo retired three times after 44 years as music mistress of SAGHS where her younger sister Anna was principal for 32 years. Up to the time of her passing, she remained musical director of the St Augustine Chorale, comprising alumnae of the school and voices of male friends, which in 2002 received the Humming Bird Medal Gold. It was under her direction that the school’s music programme was extended from forms one to six, where the students were exposed to many musical instruments in arrangements devised by this master musician.

She composed the school’s alma mater song, and fittingly the SAGHS music room has been named after her.

A few weeks before his passing, Reverend Everson T Sieunarine, a close family friend, had written a poem entitled For Lenore, which captured the essence of her pleasant personality and passion for music.

Lord, you blessed her with a wondrous treasure Expertise in music beyond simple measure Never selfish or boastful she offered her talent On stage, chancel, in class, she was whom God sent Reached many by example and truly did show Enriched with great music keeps living aglow.

Stress is an inevitable experience here in Trinidad and Tobago. It comes in many forms, and how we deal with stress is where the challenge is. If there is a challenge, then there has to be a way to respond to and resist the demand being imposed upon the mind.

This is where mental fitness comes into play. Just like our body can be trained to get stronger, faster, flexible and well balanced, so too can the mind be trained. The technique has been practiced for thousands of years.

Meditation Meditation can make you less stressed, happier and healthier than ever. How we handle our challenges daily can be the difference between emotional chaos and metal clarity. Recent studies have shown that deep breathing and clearing the mind can reduce stress, obsessive over thinking which leads to anxiety.

Meditation can also improve your memory and slow the aging process.

What exactly is considered meditation? Meditation often conjures up an image of a bearded guru sitting cross-legged at the entrance to a cave or at the top of a mountain. But meditation is fast becoming mainstream, and people from all walks of life practice it – businessmen and women, housewives, lawyers, doctors, students, teachers and so on. Also, modern technology has given us easier ways of both monitoring and performing meditation.

There are four type of meditation • Concentrative meditation which draws focus to a single object, sound, breathing pattern or image.

• Open Awareness meditation is being present and aware if whatever is happening in and around you.

• Mindfulness meditation is a combination of concentrative and awareness that can even extend to everyday tasks and exercise.

• Guided meditation is any form of meditation that is guided by a teacher (like a yoga instructor) or recording.

Benefits:

• Meditation can ease physical complaints such as premenstrual syndrome (PMS), tension headaches and other common health problems affecting women

• When you meditate regularly, you dramatically reduce your body’s response to stress

• Meditation can also improve irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers, high blood pressure and insomnia, among other stress-related conditions

• Meditation can help prevent or treat stress-related complaints such as anxiety, headaches and bone, muscle and joint problems

• Meditation also provides women with an inner sense of clarity and calm, and that in itself may help ward off certain illnesses

• People who underwent eight weeks of meditation training produced more antibodies to a flu vaccine and showed signs of increased activity in areas of the brain related to positive emotion than individuals who did not meditate

• Meditation has been found to be an effective treatment for insomnia. Several studies have shown that regular meditation results in higher blood levels of melatonin, a hormone that plays a critical role in the regulation of sleep

• Meditation produces comprehensive improvements in mental health, enhancing positive features and reducing various forms of psychological distress I know many of us have stressful lives so it could only help improve the quality of life if we are better managers of our mental and physical health. In a nutshell, science confirms the experience of millions of practitioners: meditation will keep you healthy, help prevent multiple diseases, make you happier, and improve your performance in basically any task, physical or mental. However, in order to experience most of these benefits you need to practice meditation consistently, so let’s take a break and meditate.

There are two main types of concealer that you can use: liquid and cream. They each have different functions, but generally, liquid is easier to use, because the fluidity allows you to spread it under the eyes and on blemishes. Cream concealer is sometimes too drying for under the eyes and can look cakey. However, I’ve found that adding a drop of beauty oil makes it easier to blend.

When concealing under the eyes, I recommend going one to two shades lighter than your skin tone to create a brightening, highlighted effect.

It’s best to work on a hydrated surface, so prep the area with eye cream, preferably one with caffeine if you’re dealing with puffiness.

Once it’s absorbed, you can apply your concealer in a “V” shape under the eyes. For maximum coverage, I recommend just leaving your concealer unblended on your skin for a minute. This lets some moisture evaporate from it, so when it’s time to blend it out, you get more concentrated coverage. You can blend with your clean fingers, a synthetic brush or a dampened beauty blender, depending on your preference.

If you want to conceal a blemish, be sure to moisturise, prime and apply a layer of foundation to your face first. If you still feel like you need coverage, apply your concealer using a small synthetic brush. You can pat it in with your fingers or a damp beauty sponge.

Set your face makeup by pressing and rolling a loose powder onto the skin with afl uffy brush. Don’t swipe, because this might actually remove some makeup.

It’s your preference whether you do foundation or under-eye concealer first. However, when it comes to concealer on blemishes, I recommend doing it after foundation. This allows you to use less makeup, and sometimes you’ll even find that concealing isn’t even necessary, as your foundation covers adequately. Additionally, if you buff foundation over concealed blemishes, you might end up removing some in the process, so it’s generally smarter to do it after. Just ensure that it matches your skin tone perfectly, and you’re not using the same concealer as your under-eyes.

If you have very oily skin that causes your concealer to crease, I recommend baking your makeup. This simply means applying a heavy amount of powder to areas of your face that you want to set, and leaving it for a few minutes.

Think of it like cooking your face, since you’re allowing your body heat to interact with the concealer and powder, to perfectly seal in your makeup.

Once you’re done baking, simply dust the excess powder away with a fluffy brush, leaving you with a smooth, crease-free finish.

So, what else can we use concealer for? If we want to get technical, we can use it to highlight and contour the skin. You can do this by applying your concealer that is one to two shades lighter than your complexion to the centre of your forehead, down the bridge of your nose, on the cheekbones and on the chin to brighten the face.

Follow by applying a concealer one to two shades darker than your complexion to the hollows of the cheekbones, sides of the forehead, under the jaw and optionally, down the sides of the nose to sculpt and de_ ne the face. Blend the concealer into your skin with a foundation brush or beauty sponge until it looks seamless. This can create a pretty dramatic effect, so unless you’re relatively skilled with this technique, I’d save it for night time, where any unblended mistakes will be more forgiving.

You can also use concealer to perfect your lip line, which can prevent your lip colour from feathering. Using an angled brush, simply trace around the lips and blend away any harsh lines with the warmth from your fingers. Similarly, you can use this technique to perfect your winged eyeliner, or clean up any mistakes you might make while filling in your eyebrows. Just be sure to set the concealer with powder to prevent it from smearing.

These steps can become quite harsh and dramatic if you’re not careful, so I recommend skipping these steps unless absolutely necessary.

The ace TT cyclist later showed a good turn of speed as he kept up with Bramble in the Keirin, after they left the bunch in an all-out battle for the title. Bramble was not to be denied, though, racing across the line first. The two shared the spoils in the Elite Men sprinting for the night as Phillip finished 1st in the Sprint, 500m event and the Six Lap, while Bramble secured the Keirin victory.

Teniel Campbell (PSL) continued her dominance in both the Sprint and Endurance events for Elite Women as she swept the top prize in all races for Elite Women, which included the Keirin, 500m, Eight Laps and Four Laps events.

Campbell, who has been showing improved form lately, is keen on defending her Keirin title at the Easter Grand Prix.

In the main 25-lap event for a field of Elite 1,2 Junior, Juvenile and Masters 40-49 cyclists, Joshua Alexander (Team Foundation) and Jovian Gomez (PSL) broke free of the main bunch with 15 laps remaining. The duo lapped the field to set-up a showdown with three laps remaining. Alexander took the win ahead of Gomez, while a late turn of speed by Thireef Smart (Breakaway) saw him round off the top three.

Local cycling continued with the Southern Games Criterium last night in Marabella. The Luces Brothers Memorial Classic will pedal off this evening at Skinner Park from 5pm and then the action continues at Southern Games on the grass track at Guaracara from 1pm, tomorrow afternoon.

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With a phalanx of armed police and soldiers nearby, Dillon stood next to Abdul Wakeel aka “Krysis” in Crown Trace and demanded to know if he (Wakeel) was responsible for a spate of videos posted online, which according to Dillon, “Had the entire country uneasy.” When Wakeel at first did not answer, Dillon repeated his question until the former admitted he was in those videos.

The tour yesterday, which saw Dillon being accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff Rodney Smart, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Wayne Dick, Acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams and a contingent of police and soldiers was in response to a particularly bloody week which saw four murders being committed in Enterprise.

It also came after Dillon told the nation that force would be met with force as he announced the construction of a police station in Enterprise.

Hitting the authorities for not looking at his “Other videos” in which he gave the names of crooked police officers in the pay of criminals, Wakeel later told Minister Dillon and DCP Dick he would be willing to tell the authorities all he knew about who the crooked police officers are and where the illegal guns are.

Dillon and his team walked through several well-known ‘hotspot’ areas in Enterprise greeting and meeting with residents.

The team was then led to a house in which, they were told, a member of the Unruly ISIS resides.

Wakeel came out to meet with Dillon, accompanied by head of the Islamic Front Umar Abdullah.

Wakeel told Dillon he wanted to meet with him to reveal the names of police involved in corruption with drug dealers in Enterprise.

Throughout the conversation, Wakeel referred to DCP Dick as “de boss”, which did not go down well with the senior policeman.

“The problem is, de boss, people here saying we are the ones to be blamed in Crown Trace, but we are not the ones who bringing in all the drugs and who paying the police and have the guns,” Wakeel said. In videos posted online, a man claiming to be from the Unruly ISIS threatened bloodshed and mayhem and also boasted that ISIS fears no one.

The minister confronted Wakeel, who admitted to being featured on the video.

“You are to be blamed sir, what you did on that video, you sent a sense of unease so don’t blame any circumstances, you made a choice to air that video and speak those words,” Dillon chided Wakeel.

As Dillon spoke, Wakeel interjected.

“Yes I did the video and that was in 2015 and they are bringing it back up because I am now speaking out against corruption and those involved in it.” Wakeel said he has subsequently aired another video apologising for his behaviour in the first video. Wakeel told Dillon the spate of murders in Enterprise did not happen overnight. “For every action there is a reaction and this problem did not start just so. People did not wake up one morning and pick up a gun and kill someone in Bhagaloo (Trace).

“The problem is not the violence, it’s something that led to the violence and you cannot blame me and say what happened here is my fault,” Wakeel said. Dillon told Wakeel that he was prepared to meet with him behind closed doors to discuss further what he (Wakeel) knows.

DCP Dick told Wakeel that he is prepared to meet with him immediately.

As Wakeel paused, Dick told him he appeared not to be quite ready and assured that whenever he (Wakeel) is ready and confident to talk, he should come to the police post at Lion’s gate in Enterprise and police would meet with him there. Prior to the walkabout, Dillon told reporters he believes that within the next three months the Enterprise Police Station would be constructed.

Also on the tour were Chaguanas Mayor Gopaul Boodan and Chaguanas East MP Fazal Karim.

The killing of Sylvan Alexis sparked fiery protests in Enterprise.

Three days ago the arrest of several residents of the area also led to protests in the Longdenville area. Kerron Alexis, his father and another man appeared in court in April last year, charged with participating in a riot by throwing missiles.

He was placed on bail for that incident. At his court appearance before the same magistrate, Senior Magistrate Jo-Anne Connor, police objected to bail being granted as they were not yet in possession of Alexis’ criminal records. His attorney Criston J Williams, however, complained that police had his client in custody since March 24 and the only matters he had against him pending were simple possession and the throwing of missiles.

In granting bail, Connor said she would adjust it if the police tracing record proved to be different to what Alexis’ attorney submitted to her. Alexis is expected to return to court on April 28. His father was killed on July 17, 2016, while another of Robo Cop’s brothers Mervyn was killed months later on December 4, 2016. The killings have been attributed to turf wars between two gangs – Rasta City and Unruly Isis – said to be operating in the area.

Yesterday, Le Platte Village was mourning the deaths while praying for the recovery of two women who were shot in the melee but survived. “One of the men who dead name is Le Platte and this is Le Platte Village, so you could imagine how the village taking this on,” a resident said.

“These were innocent men who did nothing to deserve that end.” According to reports, a black Nissan Tiida car pulled up in front of the group of limers and one of the occupants began firing with an automatic weapon.

As limers scattered, Letren and Critchlow fell in the yard while Le Platte ran a short distance before falling into a drain. Dayna Le Platte and Dominique Le Platte were also shot.

Le Platte and Letren were taken to hospital but died a short while later. Critchlow died at the scene. The bodies were removed to the Forensic Science Centre in St James where autopsies were done yesterday. The women who were shot, were taken to hospital where they were treated and warded in stable condition.

Janelle Lovell told Newsday she was the last person to have interacted with her brother Le Platte before he died in hospital. “He was lying there and it did not seem like he was responding,” Lovell said. “I tickled his foot and squeezed it and told him if he could hear me, that we were all praying for him. After I said that, he flexed his toes almost as if he was responding to me. Not long after…he died,” Lovell said.

Lovell said her brother was a loving and helpful person, who worked for a number of years at the Diego Martin Regional Corporation.

“Even though he did not know you, he would do his best to help you if he can. He was a sweetbread. My brother don’t be on nobody (sic). I don’t even know what could have caused this. I don’t even know how I will tell my children that he is dead.

Just last week he was telling them that he would visit them during the Easter holiday.” Newsday was told that Le Platte was a father of two. Police, along with relatives, are still trying to find a motive behind the triple murder. For the year so far, 127 murders have been committed for the year up to press trace.

After the tour, Rowley met Maarten Wetselaar, Shell’s Director for Integrated Gas and New Energies; De La Rey Venter, Executive Vice President Integrated Gas and Derek Hudson, Vice President – TT. During the meeting Rowley received a presentation on Shell’s Strategic Vision for their business in TT. At this meeting, Rowley secured a commitment from Shell for continued investment in this country.

Shell also updated Rowley and Young on the status of a number of initiatives which are at various stages of the developmental and project life cycle, reaffirming its role as a major player in the local energy industry. It was noted that Shell and the Government are aligned on plans for bringing cross-border gas from Venezuela into the TT market to meet strong demand in the petrochemical sector. Rowley mentioned the critical role Shell will play in this initiative, at a post-Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s on March 16.

He expressed his confidence in Shell’s ability to successfully execute its expansion and requested that Shell place greater emphasis on hiring and training local qualified personnel as it is important to strike the right balance between local and expatriate employment.

He assured Shell that his Government will do what is necessary within the laws of TT to provide accelerated approvals for its work program. One of the programs which was the subject of detailed discussions and agreement was the Starfish project which is to be the subject of new developmental objectives commencing in the next quarter of 2017.

Shell has a long history of operation in TT. In 2016, the company re-entered the local market with its acquisition of the BG Group.

This signifies the company’s confidence in the opportunities available in our energy industry.

The company said it is excited to play a leading role in unlocking Trinidad and Tobago’s future oil and gas potential and building a stronger competitive position in the country.

Yesterday, Rowley held separate meetings with EOG Resources and Exxon Mobil in Houston.

On March 16, Rowley said the conversations with Exxon Mobil were important in terms of what is happening in Guyana’s emerging energy sector and how this country can partner with its Caricom neighbour in that sector.

Rowley met with major energy companies, including British Petroleum (BP), Shell, ExxonMobil, and EOG Resources. On the agenda were strategies for navigating the challenges facing the energy sector and opportunities for growth and partnerships at home and in the region.

A US$5 billion investment by BP in TT was announced, and EOG will commence significant seismic work and drilling. Also, Shell will be investing billions in TT over the next four years.

While Rowley was engaged in these talks, reports emerged in Guyana over the operation of ExxonMobil there. Preliminary findings from the Snoek-1 well, the company’s latest exploration in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana, were favourable.

The finds could bolster Guyana’s status as being something of a sleeping giant. The country has an abundance of natural resources but is lacking infrastructure needed to maximise profits.

Trinidad and Tobago has the opposite problem. We have infrastructure but our unrenewable resources are dwindling. It makes sense, therefore, to seek to partner with Guyana, which may need refinery facilities as it works to jump-start its economy.

If such facilities have to be built from scratch, this will represent a substantial capital investment. If, on the other hand, cross-border partnership happens, then margins could be widened. Therefore, there is much expectation that this country will seek to play a role in the shifting dynamics of the region.

But there is another reason why Trinidad and Tobago is key. Tensions between Guyana and Venezuela threaten to undermine any efforts to move forward with projects in Guyana. The longstanding border dispute creates an aura of uncertainty that is counter-productive to stable business. Depending on the margins of the finds involved, Venezuela is likely to invoke a claim to territory that might affect the lay of the land.

This country has good relations with both Guyana and Venezuela and is poised to play a meaningful role in mediating any tensions that might escalate. Furthermore, our leadership role within Caricom – which was demonstrated by US President Donald Trump’s recent call to Whitehall – means we also have influence over key regional collaborators who will be looking on and who have an interest in regional security. Therefore, the matter is not only economic, but diplomatic.

The irony is that all of this also underlines how much more work needs to be done locally in terms of the diversification of our economy.

This country has for a long time relied on oil and natural gas to fund its operations. At the same time, systems and structures have not been efficient in terms of the use of the windfall from these operations.

The journey to a new procurement regime has been a long and difficult one.

As the world seeks to wean itself off hydrocarbons, we cannot afford to ignore the fact that the tide is changing. While Trump’s presidency has already set in motion a rollback of the forward-looking energy policies of his predecessor Barack Obama, it is not likely that the global trend – and the gains made at the Paris climate conference – will evaporate overnight.

This country must play a role in any potential expansion of the oil and gas industry in the region with an eye to stimulating the economy.

But it must equally have its eyes on developing alternative power sources, reducing carbon emissions, and developing economic segments that can provide less volatile income levels, such as manufacturing and tourism.

There must be follow-up after Houston, yes. But charity must also begin at home. Our house needs to be in order sooner rather than later.

Against the backdrop of candles, flags, signing and chanting, they offered flowers and fruit and fasted.

But most importantly, they prayed.

“The endless challenges faced daily in this culture could be traced back to a disturbing relationship with ancestors. This in turn could be a reflection of the rather dysfunctional relationship forced upon people by the circumstances of modernity. How do we repair, heal, and honour the undying tie with our forebears?” Malidoma Patrice Som?, philospher, Burkina Faso, West Africa.

Our nation looks on bemused and helpless as gangs run amok using drones and sophisticated weaponry to terrorise not only citizens, but the police. Kidnapping has become so common again that this week, two people were charged with wasting police time for claiming that they were kidnapped.

And in Barrackpore, two schoolboys savagely beat a taxi driver because he refused to allow them in his car. In the ultimate irony, the driver explained to reporters that he did not want to pick up the boys because of their aggressive approach to him.

We continue to seek solutions, to understand where we went wrong and how we can be fixed. In a deliberate effort to explore our positive traditions, elders gathered in Renegades panyard to discuss rituals of birth and rites of passage as practised within their various belief systems.

As they talked to us about their sacred practices, it became clear to the small gathering that there is an urgent need to share the knowledge of these practices that rooted us and gave our lives order and meaning.

It became clear that it is time to make them visible, relevant and integrated into wider society.

It all centres around the mother.

Mammy, Mai, Iya, Mama … she is the key to bringing a child into the world, and she is central to passing on values and wisdom to the child.

In many ways, the mother is the link between the child, family and community.

Cristo Adonis, the peyai, shaman or medicine man of the Santa Rosa Community in Arima, explained that indigenous peoples recognise the supremacy of “Mother Earth” and that children of indigenous peoples are taught to respect her from the beginning.

“Western philosophy teaches that man has dominion over everything.

Indigenous peoples are taught that they must share all spaces, to respect all things. So, for instance, we would ask permission of the earth to pick herbs. In everything, we venerate the earth, our mother who gives us life.” In the Orisha belief system, the act of procreation is considered sacred. Practitioners believe that there is an unbroken chain between the ancestor, the mother, the family circle and the unborn. For them, children choose their parents; their choice is in line with their destiny and what they have come to earth to achieve.

This concept of the “unbroken chain” of life is common in Hindu, Orisha and other traditions. The mother carries and nurtures the child who is linked to the ancestors, and to the community waiting to receive him or her. The rituals of childbirth link the different realms, completing the circle of life and opening portals for healing.

As we grapple with teen pregnancies, youth lured into gangs and drugs and communities under siege, the wisdom of the elders is telling us that we continue to disregard ancient rituals at our own peril.

The bells ring out, a clarion call for a return to divinity. What will it take before we heed the call? D a r a Healy is a perform a n c e artist and f o u n d – er of the NGO, the I n d i g e – nous Creative Arts Network – ICAN