NCIC Issue 3 March 2013

The NCIC Youth Arm hosted its 4th Annual 7-A-Side Cricket Tournament and Family Day on Sunday 20th January

2013 at the Divali Nagar site. Hailing from Preysal and Captained by Fareez Ali, team “Howzzat!” toppled 15

other teams in the one-day tournament to take home top honours! Story on Page 3.

“In an attempt to continue building and strengthening relation-

ships amongst the NCIC Youth Arm and other youth organisa-

tions, communities and youths from across the country, we strive

to build upon previous Cricket Tournaments and similar initiatives.

We look forward to a bigger and better tournament in 2014!”

2

NCIC Issue 3 March 2013

The Sanskriti Vaahana

March 2013 Team:

Deokinanan Sharma, LLD

(Editor-in-Chief) Ms. Amrica Seepersad

Ms. Reshma Sankar

Mr. Chris Selochan

(Committee Members)

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National Council of Indian Culture of Trinidad and Tobago

Deokinanan Sharma, LLD (Honoris Causa)

A Milestone

As we move into 2013, I shall like, on behalf of all executive members of the NCIC and that of the NCIC Youth Arm, to extend belated best wishes for a very progressive and successful new year.

This year will mark the 49th year since the founding of the NCIC which took place on July 19th 1964 at the Naparima Bowl in San Fernando. 2014 will therefore mark the 50th year since our Council was formed and will certainly be commemorated as a very significant occasion in the annals of Indo-Trinidadian culture. Preliminary planning has already be-gun for the most fitting way to cele-brate this milestone, details of which will be made public when a pro-gramme of activities is finalised.

A Successful 2012

We have had a very successful 2012 as we joined with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago in celebrating this country’s 50th Anniversary of In-dependence, in addition to our regular projects; the most successful of which continues to be our annual Divali Na-gar.

Our input in the 50th anniversary cele-brations comprised the hoisting of a permanent Trinidad and Tobago Na-tional Flag on our premises, a Local Classical Singing Competition, a Lo-cal Song Contest on the theme of In-dependence, and a Multi-Cultural Ex-position showcasing multicultural

Trinidad and Tobago. All the pro-grammes were enthusiastically re-ceived as thousands joined in the cele-brations.

Of great significance was the fact that the programmes were conducted in an atmosphere devoid of alcohol, as all programmes of the NCIC are. Despite this, patrons turned out in large num-bers dispelling the myth that only with alcohol can a good time be had. This atmosphere augurs well for wholesome family entertainment where parents and entire families in-deed, can come and enjoy themselves to the fullest. This is one of the planks on which the NCIC will continue to promote its programmes as alcohol is one of the curses of our society that has been creating indescribable suffer-ing to families through vehicular acci-dents, domestic violence etc. caused by irrational actions and behaviour due to drunkenness.

A Look Into 2013

We now embark upon programmes for 2013. Apart from our regular pro-jects like Indian Arrival Day, Trini-dad and Tobago Independence cele-brations, Hall of Pioneers induction ceremony, Annual Yagya, Divali Na-gar and the Baatcheet Club, we have started Advanced classes in Hindi which commenced in February. Other projects planned are Hindi Work-shops for media personnel and ar-tistes, Workshops in Local Classical Singing and training courses for prac-titioners of the Ram and Krishna Leelas. Apart from these, several in-frastructural site improvements are on the cards and will be vigorously pursued in the coming months.

We invite you to join with us in all of

our endeavours. Best wishes to all.

"Sanskriti Vaahana - The Vehicle of Culture"

An initiative of the Youth Arm of the National Council of Indian Culture

Inside this issue:

• Cricket at the Nagar

• Education as an Element in

Man-Making Swami Vivakeananda on “Education”

• Richard Ramlakhansingh Indian Cultural Pioneer

• Divali Nagar 2012

• Upcoming Events

“This year will mark

the 49th year since

the founding of the

NCIC which took

place on July 19th

1964 at the

Naparima Bowl in

San Fernando.”

3

NCIC Issue 3 March 2013

Fostering fraternity and camaraderie amongst youth of youth organisations throughout the country; this is the aim of the Annual Cricket Tournament hosted by the Youth Arm of the National Council of Indian Culture, the fourth of which was successfully held on Sunday 20th Janu-ary, 2013.

In 2010, this initiative was first intro-duced by then NCIC Youth Arm Chair-man, Dr. Arvind Singh, of hosting a Crick-et Tournament that sought to bring to-gether youths from various cultural groups and affiliated organisations throughout the country, uniting young people with a common background. What started off as a small-scale project in that year, with nine competing teams, grew into one of the Youth Arm’s highly-anticipated annual trademark events.

Not only did the initiative benefit the Youth Arm externally, but through this experience, the organising committee saw an opportunity to learn and strengthen itself.

The tournament would progress into the years 2011 and 2012 to a new slate of Youth Arm Executive Members, led by Ms. Amrica Seepersad, with the most recent competition being successfully ac-complished on January 20th 2013. The progress of the tournament has grown to include several sponsors who have

pledged their support, and with whom the Youth Arm continues to forge a healthy working relationship. In addition to this, friendly competition has grown to include several additional groups from across the country, including Youth Groups from various social, cultural and sporting organisations.

This year, sixteen (16) teams were al-lowed to register to vie for the oppor-tunity to have its name etched unto the Challenge Trophy and other prizes in the tournament.

Competing teams were Amarjyoth Sabha Inc., Orion Stars, Chandrashekhar Vishnu Mandir Youth Group, Diego WVL Youths, Hindu Students’ Council VII, Howzzat!, Lunatics, Movement for the Encourage-ment of Dharmic Services (MEDS), St. Charles United Cultural Group, St. Mary’s Village Hindu Temple, SWAHA Divya Ashram, The Crusaders, The Un-knowns, Under Rated, Victory Trading Titans and Vishwanath Hindu Social and Cultural Organisation.

Of these competing teams, Howzzat! walked away with first place, ‘Man of the Match’ and ‘Most Outstanding Fe-male Cricketer’ titles. Second, Third and Fourth place went to Under Rated, Victo-ry Trading Titans and Lunatics, respec-tively. Nayana Sookoo of the Vishwanath Hindu Social and Cultural Organisation

walked away with the ‘Most Out-standing Bowler’ title and the ‘Team Spirit’ award went to Under Rated. All of the participating teams showed great sportsman-ship on and off the field.

Although the high-light of the day,

the Cricket Tournament was not the only on-site attraction. In 2012, a Family Day aspect had been introduced to facilitate families that were a part of the general public attending; this continued into 2013 and grew from the previous waterslide, bouncy castles and cotton candy heaven, to include face-painting and horseback riding - a spectacle quite fancied by the older folks.

The event would not have seen the kind of success it did without those who have teamed up in sponsorship and partner-ship with the NCIC Youth Arm, and have given overwhelming support. Sponsors for this year’s tournament included A.S Bryden and Sons Limited, Blue Waters, KISS Baking Company Limited, Nestle, Vibrant Technology Solutions Limited and Petrotrin.

In addition to those who have partnered with us, rendering services that enhanced the quality of our event included; Mr. Tyrone Ramtahalsingh, Lime.tt, and the Trinidad and Tobago Windball Cricket Umpires Council.

The Youth Arm sees it fit to specially thank the President, Deokinanan Sharma, LLD, and the members of the NCIC Exec-utive for the endless support they have given throughout the planning and exe-cution phases of the Tournament, offering expert advice, most of which stems from their years of experience having planned numerous large events including Divali Nagar and Indian Arrival Day Celebra-tions.

In an attempt to continue building and strengthening relationships amongst the NCIC Youth Arm and other youth organi-sations, communities and youths from across the country, we strive to build up-on previous Cricket Tournaments and similar initiatives. We look forward to a bigger and better tournament in 2014!

By: Reshma Sankar

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NCIC Issue 3 March 2013

Education, according to Swami Viveka-nanda, is defined as “the manifesta-tion of the perfection already in man.” Swamiji was a simple statesman with magnificent visions to alleviate social crises - one of which was a collapse in the education system. He believed that every child had the potential to realise the inner knowledge once the veil of ignorance was torn apart. Un-der the umbrella of Vedic understand-ing of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Narendranath Dutta (Swami’s initial name) dwelled into the Gita, Upani-shad and other classic and morally-enriched stories where he began his spiritual education. He realised the value of involving religion to make education more self-sustaining and one that will stimulate the brain in positive ways. Later in his life, he realised that society was choosing modern and mechanised alternatives, leaving be-hind the sentimental and deep-seated values of the rich heritage. Hence, he revolted against the imposition of the British system of education in India and enticed the people by educating them about the importance of incorporating the rich culture of India in our educa-tion system. His philosophy that educa-tion is an ingredient in man-making and that it allows a people to stand independent and strong, stood the test of time. As such, this paper seeks to examine and expound Vivekananda’s views on education with reference to the basis, Vedanta (supreme wisdom).

Our education system is spiraling into depression, farther away from the ideal set by Swami Vivekananda, thereby leaving his standard as a fig-ment of our imagination. Today’s scho-lastic protocols are a far cry from

Swamiji’s criteria and methods of en-lightening oneself. He said, “Education is not the amount of information you put into your brain and runs riot there, undigested all your life. We must have life-building, man-making, character-making assimilation of ideas.” Swamiji emphasised on the ability to concen-trate, put theories into context and apply them in real-life situations and to internalise all concepts without forc-ing mind-boggling information into one’s brain. Without regard to these wise words, the classroom today most-ly relies on rattling off a series of ide-as with little or no discussion and thereby limits new ideologies from a fear of being wrong. As a 1st year medical student, I can relate to the need to compress text books into one’s brain as this seems to be one of the very few methods in acquiring grades and being considered as ‘intelligent.’ In essence, the education system itself places the target or ultimate goal elsewhere, rendering the students and teachers with misplaced priorities and a loss of purpose. In my opinion, the tantalising ingredients for a recipe of failure are present in the education system which for the most part, goes against the vedantic form of learning, designed by Swami Vivekananda.

Is education today worth the name? According to Swami Vivekananda, education that bypasses the core val-ues of character-building and concen-tration, is undoubtedly dodging the true purpose of educating oneself. So how can we describe today’s educa-tion system? From a student’s perspec-tive, I suppose there still remains slight confusion whether we are failing the education system or if it is failing us. In

analysis, the bulk of any course in schools or universities seems to be sheer facts that must be learnt at the tip of one’s fingers in order to pass exams with desired grades. Not to mention the competition and rivalry institutionalised in schooling systems. In general, this disobeys the criteria out-lined by Swamiji. Notwithstanding the circumstances, some students are still emerging from the same education system with brilliant talents and an unimaginable scope of innovativeness. So is it that the modern form of educa-tion also has its specialty but it de-pends on the student to maximise what is offered? One can arguably say that the education system is failing us to an extent that is reparable but the ques-tion remains how to explore the epi-center of problems and mend loop-holes. I believe this is where Swami Vivekananda’s philosophies such as student-centered learning environments and Gurukula (living with teachers and other students), where independence is embedded in the youth by choice. However, the practicality of these schemes to today’s society becomes an issue and hence the functioning of our education system and its betterment shall always be a debatable topic.

Swami Vivekananda recognises that

‘the person from whose soul the im-

pulse comes from is called the Guru

(Teacher); and the person to whose

soul the impulse is conveyed is called

the Shishya - Student.” He calls on the

divine Guru-Shishya relationship that is

deemed successful, given that the roles

of both the student and teacher are

respected and performed.

…True realisation of knowledge, already in the soul - A Swami Vivakeananda View

Continued on Page 5

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NCIC Issue 3 March 2013

A teacher, as understood from Swa-mi’s teachings, is one who guides the student to appreciate things while awakening the inner knowledge that is already present in a child. While promoting education, that is, the technical or scientific approach, Swa-mi Vivekananda thought that a teacher must have a sufficient range of scriptural information to share morale among the youth. Most schools in our society lack awareness of the Bhagwad Gita, Bible or Qur’an which may be one of the causes for indiscipline, criminal activi-ties and declining pass rates amongst our youth especially in sec-ondary schools. This brings me to the

role of a student which should resemble a sponge, ready to soak in all the in-formation; but today, the availability of information is extensive, the majority of which may promote nega-tivity. Hence, our role today would differ slightly in that, we have more negativity to screen our information from. Furthermore, long ago, a student would be ‘adopted’ by a Guru, without charge unless given as gifts. Today, teaching has become a monetary favour with less affection and empathy to-wards students. In essence, somewhere along the lines, the true purpose of a teacher and student has mutated and is now dan-gerously dissimilar to Swa-mi’s time. Consequently, the relationship between a Guru and a Shishya re-

mains blessed, but encounters many more difficulties in realising its true potential today.

In retrospect, education is a promis-

ing answer for many detrimental

societal questions. Swami Vivekanan-

da sought to create a powerful com-

bination of Indian culture and values

and the advancements of science

and technology. He saw education

as both absolute and personal, both

of which must be well-developed in

order to understand the workings of

a nation. Also, Swami Vivekananda’s

view of education strives to bring

unity amidst diversity of caste, creed

or nationality. This particularly, is

relevant to our Trinbagonian society

which is described as a melting pot

of cultures. Uplifting society lies in

the hands of the educated ones even

today and will forever be this way

as long as academic credentials is

given importance. Finally, in the

words of His Holiness himself, it’s

high time to, “Arise, awake and stop

not till the goal is achieved.”

Swami Vivekananda (1863 - 1902)

By: Sneha Rao Adidam

“In retrospect, education is a promis-ing answer for many

detrimental societal questions. Swami

Vivekananda sought to create a powerful

combination of Indian culture and values and the advancements of

science and technology. He saw education as both ab-solute and personal, both of which must be well-developed in or-der to understand the workings of a nation.”

To succeed, you must have tremendous perseverance, tremendous will. "I will drink the ocean", says the

persevering soul; "at my will mountains will crumble up." Have that sort of energy, that sort of will; work

hard, and you will reach the goal. - Swami Vivekananda

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NCIC Issue 3 March 2013

When one thinks about the pioneers of Indian culture in Trinidad and Tobago, the name Richard Ramlakhansingh does not come readily to mind. It would therefore surprise many to learn that he has given over forty three (43) years of dedicated service to the Executive and member-ship of the National Council of Indian Culture (NCIC) and continues to be a tireless servant of the organisation to the present time. Over the years, Richard Ramlakhansingh has served as Second Vice President, Cultural Officer and Trustee of the NCIC but the various positions which he has held on the Executive represent merely a small portion of the contri-bution he has made to the group. During the 1970s, he was actively involved in the NCIC’s annual seven-day cel-ebration of Divali at Harris Promenade, San Fernando. He was Chairman of the Independence Classical Singing Committee for many years during the 1980s and 1990s and has also sat on numerous other committees and par-ticipated in various projects. Some of these include being a member of the Programme Committee of Divali Nagar

since its inception in 1986, being part of committees which hosted cultural troupes from India and being a member of committees which hosted tutors from India. These tutors included Partap and Priya Pawan, Pt. Vishwanath Mishra, Pradeep Shankar and Sudhir Kumar Verma - who all taught music and dance to young nationals of Trinidad and Tobago. At present, Mr. Ramlakhansingh is a member of NCIC’s Hall of Pioneers Committee and he has been the coordinator of the Commercial Booths Committee of Divali Nagar from 2005 to the present time. The third child of four boys and two girls, Mr. Ram-lakhansingh was born on February 20th 1940, at Lachoos Road in Penal - where incidentally, he still makes his home. He was happily married for over twenty five years to Sylverine Joan Doodhai of Rio Claro before she passed away in 1997. Together, the couple had three (3) children: a son named Dirk Navin (39) and daughters Ria Ranu (37) and Sasha Anuradha (27). Dirk and Sasha are employees of TSTT and Ria, who previously worked at Republic Bank and the National Gas Company, is cur-rently a housewife. Mr. Ramlakhansingh is also a proud grandfather of three (3): Reyal Vivek, Niall Vaishnav and Yash Devin. Mr. Ramlakhansingh’s professional life was spent in the Public Service from which he retired after working for forty-three (43) years. The first sixteen (16) of these years were spent as a Primary school-teacher and the following twenty-seven (27) years as a Probation Officer. He first became involved in Indian Culture in the 1960s when, together with some of his peers and a few senior citizens, he founded a Hindi school for the benefit of the youths in his community. Subsequent to this, in 1965 he founded a small village music band named Sangam Mel-ody Makers Orchestra. The band comprised musicians who played the harmonium, dholak, dhantal and chac chac and it was registered with the then National Council of Indian Music and Drama (N.C.I.M.D.) which later be-came the National Council of Indian Culture (NCIC). He was leader of the band between 1965 and 1975. The band ceased to exist thereafter when one of the key mu-sicians moved abroad and other members moved out of the community. Mr. Ramlakhansingh would attend meetings of the N.C.I.M.D. as a representative of Sangam Melody Mak-ers Orchestra. Around 1969, Mr. Hans Hanoomansingh became President of the N.C.I.M.D. and Mr. Ram-lakhansingh was elected as a member of the Executive.

Pioneer of Indian Culture: Mr. Richard Ramlakhansingh

By: Chris Selochan

Continued on Page 7

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NCIC Issue 3 March 2013

He maintained his membership of the Executive of the NCIMD and later, the NCIC, amounting to forty-three (43) years. Mr. Ramlakhansingh remembers the days prior to 1991 when the NCIC had no home to call its own. Meetings were often held at the residences and offices of members in various parts of Trinidad. Schools and other public halls were also used. He recalls it being a challenge to attend meetings because of the continuous change of venues. It is therefore no surprise that he considers the obtaining of fifteen acres of land from the Government of Trinidad and Tobago in 1991 and the recent acquisition of anoth-er fifteen acres, to be among the NCIC’s major accom-plishments. However, he views the annual ‘Divali Nagar’, which started in 1986 and continues to the present time, to be NCIC's greatest achievement. He is also especially proud of NCIC being honoured with one of India's highest awards a few years ago by the President of India - Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (Overseas Indian Award). Mr. Ramlakhansingh’s community endeavours have not been restricted to the NCIC. He is currently a member of the Radio 103FM Hall of Fame Committee, the Queen’s Hall Board, as well as the Liquor Licensing Committee of the Point Fortin/La Brea/Cedros Magisterial District. For his invaluable contribution to the field of Indian cul-ture, Mr. Ramlakhansingh has been honoured with awards from the NCIC, the Debe/Penal Regional Corporation, the 103FM Radio Hall of Pioneers Committee and the Pelican Sports Club of Penal. He has also received an award from the Penal branch of Republic Bank for introducing Tassa Taal to the Bank as a community project in 1986. Mr. Ramlakhansingh lists his mother Gulabiya Ram-lakhansingh as having had the greatest influence on his life. However, he made special mention of two Primary school-teachers, namely Mr. Harry Seepersad and Mrs. Margret Jagessar, as well as Mr. Kenrick Seepersad (lecturer at the Naparima Teacher's Training College) as having had significant influences on his personal life. He also credits Dr. Hans Hanoomansingh (former President of the NCIC), Dr. Deokinanan Sharma (current President of the NCIC) and Mr. Narsaloo Ramaya (Indian violinist, co-founder and former leader of the Naya Zamana Orches-tra and co-founder and leader of the Triveni Orchestra) as being his three (3) most important Indian cultural role- models. In his spare time, Mr. Ramlakhansingh’s enjoys cricket, vol-ley ball, table tennis, reading, travelling, listening to Indi-an music and a good ‘lime’ with close friends. A typical

day would be spent exercising, gardening, reading, do-ing household chores and watching television. Despite his humble and affable nature, Mr. Ram-lakhansingh was scathing in his criticism of what he consid-ers to be the lack of unity amongst Indo-Trinidadian ar-tistes, activists and promoters. Indeed, he holds the view that this is the major problem facing Indian culture today. As he put it: “There are numerous groups in the country rep-resenting the different artforms, but most of them are reluc-tant to organise themselves as one body for fear of losing power and control of their own individual organisations and by extension, of the people they represent.” He was equal-ly critical of the leaders of some of these organisations: “There are widespread perceptions of these groups being run by dictatorial and tyrannical leaders who manipulate and control the organisations and members as well as the organisations’ funds. Allegations of corruption are always associated with such leaders, hence their unwillingness to unite. Selfishness is a behaviour which encourages acquisi-tion of just about anything and an unwillingness to give or share with others. Greed is also always present in Indian Culture and it has taken deep roots amongst its people.” He is adamant that there will be no destruction of Indian cultural traditions in the foreseeable future since he feels that despite the prevalence of confusion, disputes and fights for leadership “to satisfy false egos and low self-esteem among administrators,” there will be committed, selfless, and sincere persons who will ensure the survival of Indian Culture for many years to come. He is pleased with the way the NCIC has progressed over the years and believes that in spite of what he considers to be unfair criticism from detractors and a lack of fund-ing, the organisation has succeeded admirably, attained international recognition and now finds itself in a leader-ship role among diasporic communities. He expects the NCIC to continue to be the vanguard of cultural research, promotion, preservation and dissemination of knowledge and that it will grow into a more formidable organisation, giving cultural sustenance and hope to people for gener-ations to come. His health is not what it used to be and Mr. Ram-lakhansingh sees his role in the NCIC as being on the wane so as to give younger persons an opportunity to serve; but as long as his health permits he is willing to as-sist in any capacity required of him. He has no regrets and feels satisfied with the contribution that he has made to the NCIC, Indian Culture, the field of Education and the Public Service of Trinidad and Tobago.

“Selfishness is a behaviour which encourages acquisition of just

about anything and an unwillingness to give or share with others.”

8

NCIC Issue 3 March 2013

Divali Nagar 2012 began on November 4th and ran until

November 12th 2012. In typical Divali Nagar fashion, the

9-day event was an explosive display of Indian culture

with religious, cultural and social significance. The theme

was “Hanuman - The Supreme Devotee of Shree Rama” -

a theme which bore tremendous respect amongst the

Council, the sponsors and the general public throughout

the celebrations. A Thematic Exhibition was once again

exhibited by Baba Satyanarayan Mourya of India, diverse-

ly set up to display the events of Shree Hanuman Baba’s

life. The Folk Theatre, Commercial and Food Booths,

along with several other activities were some of the events

featured at Divali Nagar 2012. Here are some photos. Opening of Divali Nagar 2012

Chief Guest, Swami Prakashananda

Murti of Lord Hanuman Smt. Nandini Sharan

NCIC President and winners at the Miss Divali Nagar 2012 Pageant

Miss Divali Nagar 2012, Michelle Baldeen

9

NCIC Issue 3 March 2013

1st Place Coca Cola Youth Champ (Song), Sangeeta Subnaik 1st Place Coca Cola Youth Champ (Dance), Brian Mangaroo

Quincy Kendall Charles,

Kathak Dancer

NCIC Youth Arm congratulates NCIC President on

attaining his honorary doctorate from the U.W.I.

PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar welcomed on-stage

Government Ministers perform a Bhajan on stage

Raymond Ramnarine of Dil-E-Nadan

Bhojpuri Song and Dance from India

10

NCIC Issue 3 March 2013

While the Council was busy preparing for its Annual Ramayana Yagya and Divali Nagar 2012, the NCIC President, Deokinanan Sharma was requested to attend a gala ceremony at the University fo the West Indies, St. Augustine, where he re-

ceived an honorary Doctor of Law (LLD) degree. "The recipient of a Humming Bird Gold medal for his cultural contribution, Mr.

Deokinanan Sharma, was a founder of the Divali Nagar and a major force in the birth of the National Council of Indian Culture, where he has served as President since 2000. His contribution to cultural development spans a number of activities, such as the founding of an Indian orchestra in Debe in 1955. He has been an

Executive Member of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha and the National Hindu Youth Organisation and was co-founder of the St. Patrick Lions Club. Mr. Sharma was trained as a Civil Engineer and worked for nearly 40 years in that capacity." Deokinanan Sharma, LLD, continues to lead the NCIC, serving as a strong role model for those who wish to continue paving the way for Indian Culture in Trinidad and

Tobago!

Friday 8th March 2013 commemorates the United Na,on's

celebra,on of Interna,onal Women’s Day (IWD).

This is a ,me where we reflect on the progress made in re-

spec,ng our women, to call for policy changes where neces-

sary and to celebrate acts of courage and determina,on by

ordinary women who have played extraordinary roles in the

history of their countries and communi,es.

On November 23rd 2012, Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-

Ceasar addressed a media launch in commemora,on of the

Interna,onal Day for the Elimina,on of Violence against

Women, revealing astounding sta,s,cal data which included

some 12,041 new reported cases of domes,c violence that

have been determined for the 2010/2011 law term.

Violence against women manifests itself in more ways than

one - be it emo,onally, psychologically or physically. In ,mes

when global communi,es are seeing advances in the fields of

medicine, technology and economic progression, we s,ll fall

vic,m to societal ills such as violence against our women, ty-

ing us down from social and ethical progression.

The stereotypical iden,fica,on of domes,c violence against

women to the Indian Community is no stranger to us. The

harsh reality of the situa,on - that in a culture, where for

most of its history, the male has gained stature as a figure of

authority and a factor of control within the household, has le;

a stamp on the Indian community both inside and outside of

India as that which is known for domes,c abuse against its

women, with qualita,ve research showing that this may very

well s,ll be true, especially within the rural households of

Trinidad and Tobago.

The ,me for standing up and gaining control of such societal

ills has long gone. The ,me for respec,ng women as leaders,

mothers and professionals is long-overdue.

The Na,onal Council of Indian Culture stands side-by-side

with those willing to strive for the ac,ve awareness and work

toward the eradica,on of violence against our women in Trini-

dad and Tobago.

“As we commemorate Interna�onal Women’s Day, we must

look back on a year of shocking crimes of violence against

women and girls and ask ourselves how to usher in a be�er

future.

One young woman was gang-raped to death. Another com-

mi�ed suicide out of a sense of shame that should have

a�ached to the perpetrators. Young teens were shot at close

range for daring to seek an educa�on.

These atroci�es, which rightly sparked global outrage, were

part of a much larger problem that pervades virtually every

society and every realm of life.

Look around at the women you are with. Think of those you

cherish in your families and your communi�es. And under-

stand that there is a sta�s�cal likelihood that many of them

have suffered violence in their life�me. Even more have com-

forted a sister or friend, sharing their grief and anger following

an a�ack.” - Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General

11

NCIC Issue 3 March 2013

NCIC’s Indian Heritage Month 2013

May 01 - 31 2013

Look out for a full

programme of activities

coming soon!

12

NCIC Issue 3 March 2013

4th Annual 7-A-Side Cricket

Tournament and Family Day 2013

January 20 2013

Baatcheet (Conversational Hindi)

Club

January 2013 - Present

Lord Shiva Havan

March 10 2013

Launch of Divali Nagar 2013

(An Evening of Krishna Bhajans)

April 20 2013

NCIC Newsletter - 3rd Issue March 15 2013

Legal Aid Clinic

May 18 2013

Indian Heritage Month 2013 May 01 - 31 2013

NCIC Newsletter - 4th Issue June 14 2013

NCIC Fund-raising Dinner and

Cultural Evening June 22 2013

51st Anniversary of Trinidad and

Tobago Independence Celebrations

August 2013

NCIC Newsletter - 5th Issue September 13 2013

Annual Ramayana Yagya October 13 - October 19 2013

Divali Nagar 2013 (Theme: Krishna)

October 24 - November 01 2013

NCIC Newsletter - 6th Issue December 13 2013

No part of this publication may be reprinted or reproduced without written permission from the NCIC TT.

Subject to change as necessary

NCIC President, Dr. Deokinanan Sharma, and 1st Vice President, Mr.

Kristendath Joe Ramkissoon, pose with members of the NCIC Youth

Arm at the Cricket Tournament held on Sunday 20th January 2013.