“Indo-Trinidadians are letting themselves down here in a big way. A lot of Hindus are really put off by what has been said. The community must do better. But I do know that a lot of the Indian/Hindu population feel hated in their own country. “They remember ‘No Calcutta ship …
Read More »Noble: Is ‘all ah we’ one family? The uncomfortable race conversations T&T needs
Kristalina Georgieva, the IMF head, in a conversation with the Washington Post last week described the economic situation brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic as a ‘crisis like no other’. For her, the impending crisis was a ‘great reversal’ that was wrought with much uncertainty. She foresaw significant job losses …
Read More »Raffique Shah: ‘Black power’ and Indians; when flowering racial unity sparked a revolution
The following column was written by Raffique Shah on 9 June 2000: IN 1970, I was the only Indian officer in the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment. I was also the youngest officer, having graduated from Sandhurst in July 1966, some four months after I had turned 20. When I returned …
Read More »Of football and beauty pageants; Nakhid on Zozibini, Wendy and Sat Maharaj
Stuck between a growing social revolution here in Lebanon and our annual floods brought about by rampant political corruption—which gave rise to the aforementioned unrest—I had little time or interest in watching the recently concluded Miss Universe Beauty Pageant. My interest piqued of course when I saw on BBC World …
Read More »Dear Editor: PM Rowley can’t count Indians; Dr Mahabir disputes claim of 50% Indian gov’t
“According to Government’s CSO population survey in 2011, Indians consist of 35 percent of the population, the largest ethnic group in the country. Comprising 26 percent in the government, Indian ministers are, therefore, underrepresented and do not find a proportionate ‘equal place’ in Rowley’s PNM administration.” In the following Letter to the …
Read More »Dear Editor: Here’s what I really said about Sat Maharaj; Fazeer responds to Ashton Ford
“So basically PNM people, which is Port of Spain and environs, don’t like Sat Maharaj because they see him as somebody who gets under their skin, exposes a lot of their inconsistencies… “And yes, Sat Maharaj says things that get him in trouble.” The following Letter to the Editor is …
Read More »Dear Editor: “Fazeer probably suffered severe memory loss!” Ex-PNM secretary defends party’s record with Hindus
“It is ludicrous that anyone with any modicum of decency can contemplate accusing the party of being anti-Hindu or against any religion. It is particularly disheartening when this is the stance of supposedly enlightened media practitioners who ought to know better, if they are really worth their salt.” The following …
Read More »Balderdash and intellectual acrobatics; Fergus responds to Baldeosingh on race and Afro-history
“[Kevin] Baldeosingh […] uncritically regurgitates the defunct racist hypothesis that ‘darker-skinned people’ are judged less intelligent and ‘more primitive’ than ‘fairer-skinned people’. “[…] During the first century of this era, Ethiopians were the majority in the town of Barygasa (now Baruch) in western India. By the time of the Mughal …
Read More »Letter to the Editor: Is there an anti-Hindu agenda in mainstream T&T culture?
“I was surprised, though not very, when Hindu leaders sought to criticise the outfit worn by the President during the Carnival revelry. It is my opinion that such instances actually normalise and homogenise the Indian wear in our culture. “While most of the criticism was focused on the Rudraksha mala …
Read More »Sharma’s karma: Bharath looks at another disgraceful exit from a PP Minister
If you are from South Trinidad, Pundit Chandresh Sharma isn’t a new name to you. And you’d also be very familiar with the numerous stories that fly around about infidelities, outside children and even less than kosher behavior in public office. None of the rumors particularly recent. But let’s not dwell …
Read More »Pundit asks public to lay off murderer
Let he who has never committed murder/suicide cast the first stone. Pundit Sunil Seetahal-Maharaj may attract the attention of a whole new clientele after his funeral service for Sanjeev Rambarran, who killed his ex-wife, Dian Paladee, before taking his own life last Friday. Seetahal-Maharaj chastised members of the public who …
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