CARLOS MICHAEL RENWICK, Retired Customs & Excise Officer 111, died on Monday 21st May, 2018. He was the Father of 7. Brother of 4. Funeral Service will be held on Monday 28th May, 2018 at Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Independence Square POS at 9
PIERRE: STELLA FRANCESCA (nee Joseph) 90 years old passed away on 17th May 2018. Widow of Ralph Pierre. Mother of Ralph jnr, RoseMarie Angela, Rosalie Allyson and Ray. Grandmother of Michael, Justine, Kate, Simon(Fernanda), Hamish, Jamaal, Janelle, Jana,
Recent examples in football’s UEFA Champions League Final and the Eastern Conference Final of the NBA point to the critical importance of not just physical, but mental preparation and recovery in sport.
How do athletes and coaches define success? How do they prepare to win? And how do they recover when they lose? It’s all in the mind.
According to Amanda Johnson, the psychology of sport is both unacknowledged and underutilised in the Caribbean. As integral as the human body’s largest and most powerful organ is to performance, many turn a blind eye to the work required to fine tune the mind of an athlete.
Johnson, a Sport Performance and Psychology Officer attached to the Elite Development & Performance Unit (EDPU) of the Sports Company of T&T (SporTT) believes education is the key to transforming the perceptions of her work, which is still crawling when compared to other regions in the world.
As part of the drive to develop the research and practice of sport psychology in the region, Johnson is one of the speakers at the one-day inaugural Applied Sport Psychology Conference of the Caribbean to be held next month in Jamaica. The Conference is led by fellow practitioner Olivia Rose Esperance, the first Sport Psychologist at the University of the West Indies, Mona whose passion for the discipline helped plant a seed among the cadre of sport psychologists to join forces and establish a platform for the growth of the sector.
The event truly spans the region’s community of sport psychologists from T&T, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Barbados and St Lucia, also incorporating the efforts of Caribbean volunteers, who have been integral to the event’s planning and execution.
Apart from her presentation which will focus on optimal training environments and athlete motivation, Johnson also contributed the theme for the Conference Breaking Barriers, Unlocking Potential which she says is meant to destigmatise the field as it seeks to become a force for improved sporting achievement in a region already blessed with enormous success and the potential for much more in the future.
Johnson will also touch on how coaches and athletes define success and how this definition can hinder or advance training and performance. Johnson’s presentation will be largely based on her experience and observations over the past six years working with national teams and athletes in T&T.
The Conference targets coaches, athletes and administrators as well as the wider public who may be involved in sport at development and grassroots levels. Bringing a high level of authenticity and relevance to the Caribbean context is also integral to the Conference’s success.
Johnsons says, “Although the education and training many of us have received in Britain or America has been valuable, it does not capture the cultural variations that we experience here. As a result, the conference has been tailored to include an entirely indigenous panel to discuss the issues that we in the Caribbean face in the unique contexts of our everyday lives.”
Interested persons can register until Thursday for the first Applied Sport Psychology Conference of the Caribbean takes place on June 5 at the Mona Visitors Lodge and Conference Centre in Kingston, Jamaica.
Details can be found at the conference website: www.aspcaribbean.com.
Kapi Charles netted the lone goal as Ari-Madrid edged Santa Cruz Cruzers 1-0 in sudden-death penalty-kicks after a 0-0 draw in the ten-minute final of the T&T Fire Service Northern Division Opening Day Seven-a-Side (Hockey Posts) Football Tournament at Tyro Recreation Ground, Bourg Mulatresse, San Juan, on May 20.
Earlier on in the day in the ten-team tournament, Charles and his team-mates topped their round-robin six-team series with 11 points after similar 1-0 wins over Chaguaramas Outkasts, and Headquarters 8-4 Blazers, a default win against Woodbrook Playaz, (2-0) and two goalless draws versus San Juan Rebels and Headquarters White Eagles in Pool A.
Cruzers, won the four-team Pool B series with a 1-0 defeat of Headquarters Blue Steel and 0-0 results against defending league champions, Morvant Vikings, and Belmont Bio-Hazards. The League competition which will comprise 15 teams continues weekly at the Tyro Recreation Ground and Constantine Park, Macoya.
Results
GROUP A:
Ari-Madrid 1 (Kapi Charles)
vs Chaguaramas Outkasts 0
San Juan Rebels 1 (Christopher Francis vs 8-4 Blazers 0
White Eagles 0 vs Woodbrook Playaz 0
Ari-Madrid 0 vs San Juan Rebels 0
Chaguaramas Outkasts 2 (Handell Manswell,
Akil Smart) vs 8-4 Blazers 0
San Juan Rebels 2 (Christopher Francis, Keive Lakhan) vs Woodbrook Playaz 0
Chaguaramas Outkasts 0 vs San Juan Rebels 0
White Eagles 1 (Shea Perreira) vs San Juan Rebels 0
8-4 Blazers 1 (Jason Diaz) vs Woodbrook Playaz 0
Chaguaramas Outkasts 2 (Handell Manswell, Marcellus Simon) vs Woodbrook Playaz
(Barry James) 1
Ari-Madrid 0 vs White Eagles 0
Ari-Madrid 2 vs Woodbrook Playaz 0 - by default
Ari-Madrid 1 (Aaron Reyes) vs 8-4 Blazers 0
White Eagles 0 vs Chaguaramas Outkasts 0
White Eagles 0 vs 8-4 Blazers 0
GROUP B
Santa Cruz Cruzers 0 vs Morvant Vikings 0
Belmont Bio-Hazards 1 (Dwayne Duke) vs Blue Steel 0
Blue Steel 0 vs Santa Cruz Cruzers 0
Morvant 1 (Steve Edwards) vs Belmont Bio-Hazards 0
Santa Cruz Cruzers 1 (Dayne Sampson) vs Blue Steel
Blue Steel 1 (Jabari Murray) vs Morvant Vikings 0
Belmont Bio-hazards 0 vs Santa Cruz Cruzers 0.
n STANDINGS
Group A
Teams...........................P....W......D........L......F.........A.....Pts
Arima Madrid.............5......3......2.......0......4.........0......11
Outkasts......................5......2......2.......1......4.........2.........8
San Juan Rebels........5......2......2.......1......3.........1.........8
HQ White Eagles.......5......1......4.......0......1.........0.........7
8-4 Blazers..................5......1......1.......3......1.........4.........4
Woodbrook Playaz...5......0......1.......4......1.........7.........1
GROUP B
Teams...........................P....W......D........L......F.........A.....Pts
Cruzers.........................3......1......2.......0......1.........0.........5
Vikings.........................3......1......1.......1......1.........1.........4
Bio-Hazards................3......1......1.......1......1.........1.........4
Blue Steel....................3......1......0.......2......1.........2.........3
FINAL
Ari-Madrid 0 vs Santa Cruz Cruzers 0 -
Ari-Madrid won 1-0 in sudden-death penalties
n UPCOMING MATCHES
Venue: Tyro Recreation Ground,
Bourg Mulatresse, San Juan
FRIDAY
Woodbrook Playaz vs San Juan Rebels,
4.30 pm
SATURDAY
Four Roads Swordsmen
vs Headquarters Black The Bravest, 4.30 pm
Headquarters Blue Steel vs Headquarters Black The Bravest, 7 pm
Venue: Constantine Park, Macoya
JUNE 2:
Ari-Madrid vs Warriors, 4.30 pm
Belmont Bio-Hazards vs Underdogs,
7pm
Sunday last was a day to forget for San Juan Jabloteh after the favourites lost all three finals of the inaugural Flow Youth Pro League (FYPL) Cup at the Larry Gomes Stadium, Malabar.
All three titles went the opposite way by teams coached by members of the famous T&T 1989 ‘Strike Squad’ which came to within a point of qualifying to the 1990 Italy World Cup.
W Connection first ended a three-year drought at youth level when it edged Jabloteh 2-1 to win the Under-14 FYPL Cup under coach and former T&T striker Leonson Lewis.
From as early as the fourth minute, W Connection took command of the match through Joel Maitland-Wilson’s opener and in the 17th minute, Dantaye Gilbert made it 2-0 in the 70-minutes contest. Two minutes into the second-half, Jearon Ellis sliced the margin in half for Jabloteh but in the end, W Connection held on for the win to hand the club a first youth title since winning the YPL Under-16 championship in 2014 An elated coach Lewis reminded that his W Connection U-14 side remained unbeaten all season.
He said, “In total being unbeaten all season is the most inspiring thing for us. We’ve drawn games we should have won but we never lose and to end the season like this, as Cup champions, is the best feeling ever.”
W Connection star forward Molik Khan said it was a great achievement to snatch the FYPL Cup after mistakes cost his team the league title.
“Whenever you play a team like Jabloteh it’s never an easy game, and it will only take hard work and a good team like W Connection to come away with this victory,” said Khan.
Club Sando, coached by former T&T goalkeeper Michael ‘Brow’ Maurice, then handed the ‘San Juan Kings’ a second defeat on the day when it captured the U-16 FYPL Cup with a 3-2 penalty-kicks win after holding the league champions to a 0-0 draw.
During the match, Jabloteh’s chances of securing the title took a major blow when attacker Jerry Morris suffered a suspected concussion with just over quarter of an hour played and was taken away by ambulance for observation at hospital but was released on Sunday night.
Speaking after the match, coach Maurice was elated to lead the ‘Oranges’ to their first club title since becoming a Pro League member club in 2015 but heaped the praise on Keon Trim, the coach he replaced just ahead of the FYPL Cup.
Maurice said Trim had done an excellent job with the Club Sando U-16 outfit which maintained their unbeaten campaign with the final win over Jabloteh.
Jabloteh U-18s ended the day the way the club started, in the agony of defeat, despite a double from star forward Kesean St Rose (21st & 51st), in a 2-4 loss to W Connection.
Doing the damage for Brian Williams- coached W Connection was Jevaughn Humphrey with a second- half double in the 62nd and 90th minutes after team-mates Kiron Manswell (26th) and Christian Ransome (73rd) had found the target.
Williams was in high praise of his players who he said showed excellent character to defeat Jabloteh. The W Connection U-18 coach believes the future is bright for his players but what affects their progress is moving from one place to another.
“For instance, after this (Youth Pro League) they go to their college teams and we don’t have them for a long time, whereas if they are continuous with a club their development won’t be interrupted.”
Down at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium, Marabella, Defence Force (U-14); Pt Fortin Civic (U- 16) and Police FC (U-18) ended in third in their respective divisions.
Results
FINALS
Venue: Larry Gomes Stadium,
Malabar
U-14 DIVISION
W Connection 2 (Joel Maitland-
Wilson 4th, Dantaye Gilbert
17th) vs San Juan Jabloteh 1
(Jearon Ellis 37th)
U-16 DIVISION
San Juan Jabloteh 0 vs Club
Sando 0 - Club Sando won 3-2
on penalties.
U-18 FINAL
W Connection 4 (Kiron Manswell
26th, Jevaughn Humphrey
62nd, 90th+, Christian Ransome
73rd) vs San Juan Jabloteh 2
(Kesean St. Rose 21st, 51st)
THIRD PLACE PLAYOFF
Venue: Mannie Ramjohn
Stadium, Marabella
U-14 DIVISION
Pt Fortin Civic 1 (Simon Modeste
7th) vs Defence Force FC 1 (Tyrik
Trotman 61st) - Defence Force
won 4-3 on penalties.
U-16 DIVISION
Pt Fortin Civic 0 vs Police FC 0
Pt Fortin Civic won 4-2 on
penalties.
U-18 DIVISION
Police FC 4 (Kai Phillip 23rd,
34th, Zion Mc Leod 46th, Elijah
Joseph 64th) vs North East Stars
3 (Jonathon Gloudon 12th,
Jaydon Prowell 18th, 40th)
The tagline for last week’s Leaders’ Sports Business Summit held at Times Centre in New York was “experience the future of sports”.
What is Leaders’ week? According to the organisers: the who’s who of global sport, technology and entertainment gathered in New York for a series of knowledge- sharing, experiential, networking for a week.
From sports betting to fan experience, broadcast to brand sponsorship, those in attendance were able to experience the future of sport and obtain tools and insight to be one step ahead.
The Leaders’ week got started on May 21 with a SAP Sports Forum where participants looked at data strategies, internationalisation and innovative technology while across at the City Football Group Offices, the future of women’s sport was explored with careful attention to the commercial opportunities. The sharing of learning and best practice was a priority. Major League Soccer(MLS) hosted a networking event, the chance to meet and mingle with global sport business titans in an informal environment ensured that the evening was a huge success.
The two-day flagship Sports Business Summit is according to the organisers—the most prestigious, content-rich event in the sports business calendar with 700 director level executives from all over the world to share intelligence and spark discussions that will help shape the future of sport.
The point repeatedly made at the summit is that the 21st century sports fan expects a 21st Century sports experience. How do you exceed the expectations of the ultimate fan by giving them the ultimate fan experience?
The summit partners and presenters were some of the most influential in the global sports business.
Included among the presenters on various topics were the likes of ESPN Major League Baseball, W Bayern, National Hockey League, Anheuser Busch inBev, Amazon, Dunkin Donuts, Liverpool FC, LEGO group, NBC, FC Barcelona, Juventus FC, New Zealand rugby union and New York Times.
It’s was all about the sport business, business development and leveraging assets. The speakers and conversations were focused on the future and reality of the global business of sport. Not one conversation was about sport politics, the IOC, FIFA etc. Interestingly sport tourism wasn’t part of the discourse.
It was pure business and most certainly a refreshing change from the nauseating petty and destructive dysfunctional focus on sport politics and poor governance.
One couldn’t help but be energised about the sport business.
Sport Industry TT 2019 will incorporate some of the ideas from Summit - “Go brave or Go Home”.
Surujdeo Mangaroo is one of the larger-than-life individuals we are blessed with in T&T when it comes to the preservation and propagation of Indian culture. Mangaroo, who turned 60 this year, is best known for his role as the Public Relations Officer of the National Council of Indian Culture (NCIC).
Despite his success in the cultural and business fields, Mangaroo still lives in the community that he grew up in and has never disconnected with the people of Tulsa Trace in Penal and the entire south-central community.
“I took my first steps there (in Penal), my children and grandchildren did too, this is a community that has cradled my entire family to which I am truly indebted to. The rice paddy fields were our playground as children, and the pristine rivers provided our village with meals many a times; this has molded me and has taught me to value and cherish the little things in life.
“I would not trade my life here for living anywhere else in the world. Waking up in my hometown is waking up to a breath of fresh air. The cool mornings with the first rays of sunlight peeking through the heavy mist; it truly is an amazing sight.
“When all my siblings migrated, I felt it was my duty as the eldest son to ensure my parents had someone close by; they were the magnetic pull to my home town. Home is where the heart is, and now, my children and grandchildren have settled within a three-mile radius.
“I could not see myself living further away from them and not be able to experience true joy.
“As a young professional, I have seen many of the educated and highly-professional persons migrating overseas or to the city, but I decided to stay and help to build my community and discipline the youths to better themselves and likewise bring about a cycle.”
Mangaroo attended Tulsa Trace Hindu School and Palo Seco Secondary School before proceeding to the Academy of Insurance. He also attended the Canadian Institute of Insurance, in Toronto.
Mangaroo has also forged deep cultural links with Indian artistes in Guyana, Jamaica and Suriname. Kries Ramkhelewan, Suriname’s most prolific Indian singer, paid tribute to Mangaroo for his 60 birthday on April 16, and made a special recording of ten songs that were presented to him. Mangaroo said the projection and acceptance of Indian culture has exceeded his expectations, adding: “The Western world has embraced us and it is growing by leaps and bounds. The NCIC has been a pathway for every creed and race to embrace the fascinating elements of our culture. We have traversed many continents, and the NCIC has been the backbone giving us this opportunity.
“As its PRO, I would say that the Divali Nagar is doing all it can to preserve our culture. We recently opened the Heritage Library, with an astounding display of books, available to the public. The NCIC has reached worldwide providing a forum for authors and artistes to showcase their talents on international stages. We have hosted workshops for our young and budding artistes and we hope to continue this over the years to come. The NCIC created a platform for young artistes to develop, learn and master their art form, some who have now become professionals in their respective fields.”
In 1978, Mangaroo married his wife, Narda, and they have been married for more than three decades, They have four children are—Dinesh, Vinesh, Shivani and Reshmi.
Mangaroo also has three grand children.
Serving the community
Mangaroo has served in the insurance industry for over three decades and progressed from being a field underwriter to his current position, managing director and CEO of Trinity Insurance Brokers Ltd.
Mangaroo is also well known as the chairman of the National Commission for Self Help Limited (NCSHL), between 2010-2015. He was one of few pro-active chairmen, a professional that the simple man in the street could reach out to and get assistance.
Mangaroo was known to drop his engagements to assist fire, flood, and storm victims as soon as he got the news.
Under his tenure in NCSHL Mangaroo oversaw the construction of several new community outreach structures that were designed not only as community meeting places but as hubs for entrepreneurship.
When asked why he gives so much of his time to assist people, Mangaroo said: “I made a commitment to serve the people. Live is about serving others.
“This is part of our spiritual teachings; we cannot have and not assist our brothers and sisters. Much is expected of us when we hold any position regardless if it is at the top or bottom we must deliver.”
Politics is his passion
Mangaroo is also the charter president of the Rotary Club of Penal.
Through Rotary he has assisted single parent families as far as Mayaro, assisted schools, communities and causes undertaken during his stewardship.
Now, at age 60, Mangaroo said he has great plans for his future which may include entering the political arena. “Politics is a passion of mine,” he revealed. “If it is in my destiny, then it shall prevail.”
He added: “Retirement is a time for personal growth, a time to unwind and be at ease with my mind and soul. I will now be able to do all that I have dreamed of but never had the time to do.
“I will now have a chance to embrace new challenges and experience new adventures.”
“I have travelled to over 60 countries and I intend to make it over 100. Throughout the years of constant work, I must admit, there were times I had neglected my family to which any professional can attest. Some sacrifices are big and some small but it is never too late to make a change and make time for the people who matter. Without their support, I would not be the person I am today.
“I have dedicated my life to promoting culture and philanthropy and I have no intentions of discontinuing this practice.”
To the nation’s young men and women, Mangaroo offering these pearls of wisdom: “There is more to life than an eight to four job; build a career and excel to achieve true purpose. Make yourselves available for sports, culture and philanthropy because service to man is service to God.
“Your parents seek only your well-being and success, so lend an ear to them for they are your truest supporters.”
Two T&T writers are in the running for major international literary awards, awarded by the Forward Prizes for Poetry in London.
Vahni Capildeo, a Trinidadian poet based in the UK, has been shortlisted for the 2018 Forward Prize for Best Collection with her latest book, Venus as a Bear.
Capildeo is a previous winner of a Forward Prize in 2016, and has now achieved the rare feat of being shortlisted again for the award just two years later.
She is joined by Shivanee Ramlochan, whose her debut book of poems—Everyone Knows I Am a Haunting—has been shortlisted for the 2018 Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection. This is the first time a Trinidadian writer living at home in T&T has been in contention for the award, described in the British press as the “poetry Oscars.”
Considered among the most prestigious international awards for poetry, the Forward Prizes have been awarded since 1992. In recent years, an unprecedented number of poets of Caribbean birth have been hortlisted or named winners.
Both Capildeo and Ramlochan launched their respective books at the NGC Bocas Lit Fest. Joining them on the Forward Prizes shortlists is another Bocas 2018 writer, the Iranian-American poet Kaveh Akbar.
“This is exciting news,” says Marina Salandy-Brown, Bocas festival director. “If we ever needed more proof that our literature is in excellent health and deserves celebrating, this is it. Many congratulations to Vahni and Shivanee, and also to Kaveh Akbar, all of whom delighted us at last month’s NGC Bocas Lit Fest.”
Capildeo’s Venus as a Bear, published by Carcanet Press, “explores the strange affinities humans have for creatures, objects, and places.” It includes poems inspired by Trinidad, St Lucia, and Puerto Rico, as well as Scotland, Ireland, and Iceland, and their imaginative terrain is equally broad-ranging.
The author of five previous books, Capildeo—who has lived mainly in the UK since 1991—is increasingly recognised as a major voice in world poetry.
Ramlochan’s book Everyone Knows I Am a Haunting, one of the most eagerly anticipated recent debuts by a Caribbean poet, was commended by the Forward Prize judges as “a work of witness.”
Said Ramlochan in a 2017 interview in Caribbean Beat magazine, “Clarity, honesty, and truth are things I’m almost obsessed with. I think that is because poems are probably the place where I tell the most truth for any given and sustained stretch of time. What are the things in the poem that would otherwise absolutely never be said? Whatever those are become mandatory.”
Ramlochan is a member of the team behind the NGC Bocas Lit Fest, the Anglophone Caribbean’s largest literary festival. She is also the book reviews editor for Caribbean Beat, deputy editor of The Caribbean Review of Books, and works as well with Paper Based Bookshop, T&T’s oldest independent bookseller.
“I first encountered Shivanee’s poems almost eight years ago, and they were arresting even then,” says Nicholas Laughlin, programme director of the NGC Bocas Lit Fest.
“When Everyone Knows I Am a Haunting was published last year, it felt both long overdue and exactly on time. I can’t think of a more momentous, more hair-raising debut by any other Caribbean poet. Her readers here at home already know Shivanee’s poems are earth-shaking, and I hope this recognition by the Forward Prize judges will bring her to the attention of more international readers. She is a dangerously thrilling writer.”
The winners of the 2018 Forward Prizes will be announced on September 18 at a ceremony in London, which both poets will attend.
Last month, Beverly Williams, the National Library and Information System Authority’s (Nalis) director, Public Libraries Division, conducted an informative session at a parenting workshop held at the Beetham Gardens Community Centre, Port-of-Spain. The event, which was an initiative of the Inter- Agency Task Force (IATF) Hearts and Minds Programme, was themed Parenting through Partnerships.
Williams, who spoke on the topic of Empowering your Child to Read, talked about the impact of libraries on communities. She also presented information about library resources, services and activities that support parenting efforts. Chief among them were library and information materials on parenting techniques and strategies, which were on display for participants to peruse.
Following the presentation, parents and other guests in attendance were invited to join the library in order to obtain free access to the wide range of lending, technology and reference services available for children, teens, adults and seniors. These include access to audio-video materials, books, the internet, literacy classes, clubs, research assistance, databases, eBooks, reading programmes, exhibitions, displays and more.
The event was also attended by Catherine Romain, Nalis’ executive director; Jesse Ann Bernard, library assistant II; and, Devon La Touche, library assistant I of the Public Libraries Division.
Other workshop presenters included representatives from Sagicor, Digicel Foundation, North-West Regional Health Authority, Crime Stoppers T&T and guests from nearby communities.
The IATF workshop was intended to provide parenting skills, techniques and strategies to parents in communities located in East Port-of-Spain, enabling them to address issues of child care, healthy lifestyles, safety and protection. Nalis as a national provider of reliable, equitable and inclusive library and information services, is a proud supporter of the project.
In other Nalis developments, Nalis Library Conservator Danielle Fraser will be one of two keynote speakers to be featured on June 5 at the 48th annual conference of the Association of Caribbean University Research and Institutional libraries (Acuril) which will be held in the Dominican Republic on June 3-7.
Fraser will be speaking on the topic Disaster Preparedness Strategies for Assessing, Planning and Protecting Cultural Collections. On June 6, she will be hosting a workshop entitled, When Disaster Strikes: Emergency Response and Salvage of Collection Damaged by Water.
The Acuril conference is the only one of its kind in the Caribbean. It has provided training and networking opportunities for librarians in the region since 1968. Nalis is, therefore, pleased to be represented in such a significant manner at a conference of this nature.
For more information on library services and activities visit www.nalis.gov.tt or email nalis@nalis.gov.tt
Tobagonians, normally a peaceful and rational people, were recently provoked to voice their disapproval of the THA’s approach to upgrading the Crown Point Airport. This unfortunate explosion forcefully emphasises that we in T&T are deficient in community and development planning. Indeed, in the THA’s case, the Peter Principle clearly reared its head. Certainly, amateurs must never be given professional responsibility.
One professional in the research literature, commenting on people’s participation, lamented “If you want to know how the shoe fits, ask the person who is wearing it, not the one who made it.” Yes! People’s participation is imperative—especially when property and reallocation are involved.
We in T&T have to realise that “trying a thing” can no longer be the norm when we have to address the imperative of development and marching to the beat of 21st century drums. In the case of community development and planning many factors have to be considered:
1. Getting all the relevant property owners and agencies to agree on a development strategy for a proposed project that is both visionary and based on what local people want;
2. Honouring the best practice matrix of principles, methods, scenarios, case studies, policy and law; and
3. The Imperative of Implementation and Development dollar and opportunity costs.
Without doubt, we have to be more people oriented and professional when undertaking project management the magnitude of the Tobago project.
RAYMOND S HACKETT
Curepe
Now is the time to determine if there in need for a third political force!
In 1634, John Milton penned the idiom “was I deceived, or did a sable cloud turn forth her silver lining on the night?” A part of this idiom has been totally ignored, emphasis being placed on the words “silver lining.”
Three hundred and eighty four years later, on the night of May 20, 2018, Mickela Panday—in a silver top accompanied by her Dad, former PM Basdeo Panday—affectionately known as the Silver Fox—reminded the audience at her coming-out political meeting that “behind every cloud there is a silver lining.” I am sure that there was a reason why Mr Milton prefaced these words with, “was I deceived.”
The audience was “over the moon” when asked, “Do you think we should form a political party?” The response, a resounding YES, is to be worked on! Would “over the hill” 20th century politicians be welcomed?
Why was the “meet-and-greet” session seeking approval to form a national political party held in heartland Chaguanas? Could this signal the same-old, same-old type of politics?
“Was I deceived” into thinking that the reality of a political silver lining is an impossibility in a society that cannot appreciate the vital importance of economic diversification but appears to thrive on a diversity that politically separates electors? I hope not! Trinbago needs visionary leaders to foster a sense of belonging to and togetherness in the affairs of our twin island state. Maybe the word “attitude” should be an adjunct to our national watchwords.
Mickela Panday, the ball is in your court.
JOHN HENRY,
Petit Valley
As we prepare to observe Indian Arrival Day, let us use this opportunity to thank God for the resilience of our forebears. As Desmond Tutu said “You don’t choose your family, they are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.” Sadly, many of us have failed to document the history of our ancestors.
My maternal grandfather, Robert Henry Fitzgerald Manning, came to Trinidad from Barbados and my maternal grandmother, Enid Nicome, originated from Venezuela. Though we don’t know much about their history before they arrived here, my family have some knowledge of the history of my paternal forebears.
The genealogist, Shamshu Deen, was commissioned by my cousin, Sakaldip Dial, to conduct research into the Dial family. In 2014, my cousin, Devant Maharaj, launched his book: The line of my People, in which he drew on Shamshu Deen’s genealogical research.
On December 6 this year, we will observe the 160th anniversary of the arrival of 18-year-old Madaree (Hindu), and 20-year-old Oozerun (Muslim)—my great, great paternal grandparents. They were both travelling with their fathers—Toofaney and Deana. They arrived on the ship, the Edith Moore, on December 6, 1858. Between 1845 and 1917, about 147,592 Indians were indentured to Trinidad to work in the sugarcane plantations. Indentureship officially ended on January 1, 1920.
It is not known if Madaree’s and Oozerun’s love for each other blossomed during the 96-day journey from India to Trinidad. It is unlikely that they were married since their ship numbers were not consecutive (154 and 324). On arrival, they were sent to work as indentured labourers on the Mon Plaisir Estate, Cunupia.
In spite of the difficulties they would have faced, somehow, they survived. Twenty-two years after arriving in Trinidad, Shamshu Deen saw their names on a ship’s log sailing back to India as fare-paying passengers—with four children. Their first son, Dabee Dial, Devant’s great-grandfather, did not go with them. He settled in Plum Mitan, east Trinidad.
Shamshu Deen then sees the names of the mother and children, including an infant, Parbatie, on the ship’s log of the Scottish Admiral ship in 1882, as fare-paying passengers, but their father was not with them.
The children all had Madaree listed as their father’s name. The ship arrived in Trinidad on November 8, 1882. There are different versions as to how Madaree died.
Madaree and Oozerun bore six children: four boys—Dabee, Bhawanie, Siew (my great-grandfather), Prabhu; and two girls: Bhagmatie and Parbatie. They worked hard and pooled their resources. Bhawanie built his home first in 1901 and they all lived there initially. Prabhu built his in 1917. In those days cocoa was king, and they owned many cocoa estates in the area.
Devant’s book states: “The fact that the family returned to Trinidad as paying passengers was also indicative of the wealth of the family, and indeed this could be seen manifested in the colonial homes they built in Sangre Chiquito, on the outskirts of Sangre Grande.”
The big blue house in the film Green Days by the River, where Mr Gidharee and his daughter lived, was built by my great-grandfather, Siew Dial, in 1923. My father was born there in 1925 and I spent many happy days there as a child. My uncle lives there now.
Devant says in his book: “The surname, Dial, is an Anglicised version of the Sanskrit name, Dayal. It is a name found mainly in India’s northern States, among Hindus.” Somewhere along the line, my grandfather, Nanan Ramdeen, changed his name from Dial to Ramdeen. There are different versions as to why he did so.
The descendants of the Dial/Ramdeen family have accomplished much in various fields of endeavour. They include: Anna Mahase, past principal of St Augustine Girls’ High School; my father, the late Balgobin Ramdeen, barrister-at-law, author, and MP for Caroni East (1961-1966); Kamala Ramdeen, retired barrister-at-law and former head of chambers in London; Dr Dhanrajie Dial, the first female paediatrician in T&T; Stephen Maharaj, former leader of the Opposition; Anthony Harford, broadcaster; Nalini Dial, political leader of the National Coalition for Transformation; Neval Chaitlal, Digicel Rising Star; Ashram Deoraj, retired school supervisor; Karena Steele, school supervisor; Ranu Maraj, principal, Seereeram Memorial Vedic School; lawyer Bindra Dolsingh; former assistant DPP Ranjee Dolsingh; and me. I wear many hats!
Let us celebrate the family—the first and vital cell of society; the bedrock of society. May each family be a school of love.
Leela Ramdeen
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Cricket West Indies and telecommunications giants Digicel have severed their sponsorship agreement prematurely, ending a 13-year commercial relationship.
In a statement yesterday, CWI said an agreement had been reached to end the relationship with one year still to run on the contract.
“It has been a great and successful partnership for both Cricket West Indies and Digicel,” said CWI’s director of commercial, marketing and communications, Dominic Warne.
“We are now primed to take on a number of new initiatives as part of our recently announced strategic plan to make cricket the heartbeat of the Caribbean. We hope to make an announcement on our new long-term principal partner soon.”
CWI penned a new deal with Digicel two years ago, with the Irish company sponsoring the senior men and women’s international sides along with the Under-19s.
Digicel struck up its partnership with West Indies cricket in a multi-million dollar sponsorship deal, which took effect on the 2004-05 tour of Australia.
The move followed the withdrawal of Digicel’s telecommunications rivals, Cable and Wireless, who had been long-term sponsors of West Indies cricket.
Digicel Group chief financial officer, Raymond Leclercq, praised the benefits which had been derived from the partnership.
“Over the years, we have been very successful in forging sponsorship partnerships with the things we know our customers love most,” Leclercq said.
“This approach has helped us to grow the Digicel brand to be the number one brand in the region and to make a lasting impression on our customers.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank Cricket West Indies for 13 years of amazing partnership and for the opportunity and privilege of helping to bring the fun, thrill and excitement of the game of cricket to a wider audience and in new and engaging ways.”
The announcement of the termination comes just a week before the start of the Home Series against Sri Lanka, with Tests scheduled for Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad, Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia and Kensington Oval in Barbados, from June 6-27. (CMC)
I take the Glenn Mendez-trained Streaking Far to turn the tables on her conqueror Princess Sophia today at Santa Rosa Park, Arima, when the feature pair clash in the feature Chief Commander Classic.
The feature event of the Arima Race Club (ARC) racing season, will see a proverbial match race between the hat-trick seeking John Leotaud-trained Princess Sophia and the Glenn Mendez-trained chestnut filly Streaking Far which finished second in the Guineas before returning to win last time out over 1,750 metres.
Thirteen horses have been declared for the Chief Commander Classic over 1,600m on the turf course for Native bred three-yearold horses.
Ronald Ali will have the leg up on Princess Sophia which has won both her races from the front. She will be difficult to peg back if given an uncontested lead.
She beat Streaking Far impressively when last they meet over 1,350m but today could be a different kettle of fish.
Princess Sophia has been specially prepared for this race.
However, Streaking Far will be a different proposition now after being beaten by Princess Sophia over a shorter distance.
Mendez knows how to ready them for the big ones and with Wilbert Leon aboard Streaking Far, she could win today.
Post time is noon.
The Can Bou Play Foundation (CBPL) was officially launched on Monday at the St Dominic’s Pastoral Centre in Diego Martin by a host of names familiar to local football fans. Yohance Marshall, Sean de Silva, Jared Bennett, Akim Armstong, Elton John, Keston George, Julius James and Amiel Mohammed have stepped forward to pilot this new project.
In his address, Marshall, who scored T&T’s famous last-minute equaliser in the 4-4 draw with Mexico in the 2015 Gold Cup, touched on the genesis of the Foundation.
“When the Pro League season ended, we didn’t really know what was going to happen. A couple of the guys were there and we wanted to at least keep fit. So we started training together and more and more guys joined.
“Then being together with like-minded individuals, we started to think about our options and how we could now give back and be a support system. That movement evolved really quickly and Can Bou Play was formed,” said an excited Marshall.
Can Bou Play Foundation will seek to host mentor and education tours at a minimum of thirty schools, children’s homes and football academies across T&T in 2018. As well as pioneer education programmes using sport as a catalyst and produce a video series outlining the highs and lows of local footballers.
Also touched on at the launch was the need for the foundation to be run as a corporate entity with sustainability at its forefront.
Individual Aesthetic has already come on board as the official merchandise partner, while the group already boasts a few burgeoning international partnerships
A few weeks ago, Can Bou Play partnered with US-based charity, Around the World’s Inc, to distribute over 150 match jerseys and more than 40 balls to children’s homes and organizations across T&T.
Centro Deportivo Canning, an affiliate of Club Athletico Banfield, in Argentina has also issued their formal support for CBPL’s long-term initiatives.
The former T&T midfielder and fellow founder Sean de Silva echoed his colleagues’ sentiments and the need for there to be a positive change in the local football and sports landscape.
“The inspiration behind the name comes from the Canboulay festival which was the precursor to Carnival and our music. It was a symbol of freedom and more importantly a freedom of expression. It was a major step and we, the founders, found similarities with what we are trying to do with our movement.”
“We decided that there is no better time than the present to give back to our country where we truly need to use sport and education to nurture young men and women into the successful citizens that our country needs to get back on track.”
The founders of this ambitious organisation have also committed their playing futures to various clubs for the 2018 season.
The trio of Marshall, John and George have left 2017 T&T Pro League title winners North East Stars to join former Central FC standout, de Silva at Queen’s Park Cricket Club in the T&T Super League as part of a partnership between QPCC and CBPL.
Former national Beach Soccer player Jared Bennett will suit up for his hometown club of Point Fortin Civic FC and Akim Armstrong will be aiming for a productive first season with Central FC. Julius James had earlier signed for FC Motown in the NPSL (USA).
Anyone or organisation interested in learning more about our partnering with the Can Bou Play Foundation can contact our social media pages @canbouplay or canbouplayfoundation@gmail.com.
Sakunti Ramnarine Singh, 90, was awarded the Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Club of Penal earlier in May 2018. Few people know that she is an entrepreneur and was a single mother in 1976 when she took the decision to sell her prize cow and jewelry to purchase a shop that later grew into the Anand Low Price Group of Companies that now employs over 400 people in South Trinidad.
She has under her wings children, Anand, Payie, Camini, Chandinie, Jaichan, Dianand; nine grandchildren; ten great grandchildren; and, one greatgreat grandchild.
Sakunti independently raised all of her children. While growing up, the family did not have enough money but no one felt as though they were poor since she always showered her children with love and care.
Her eldest son Anand Ramnarinesingh said: “She showed us what an honest, vibrant, full life looks like. She also ensured that all of her children attended school which provided us with the knowledge and tools to be successful in life.”
Camini, her youngest daughter, received an additional scholarship in agriculture which probably would not have been possible without the support of her mother who stayed up with her at night to keep her company while studying.
Anand said Sakunti’s parents, Loungi and Ramnarine Singh, as well as Payie, the eldest child, were very present and played a vital role in the development of her children.
He said: “Our mother worked long hours in the fields. In those days she was never afraid to discipline her children and made sure that we were brought up with good values and were respectful to others. She believed in doing things right the first time and was strict.
Nevertheless, this didn’t seem as though it was a burden, instead it was a blessing.”
In order to provide a comfortable life for her children, Sakunti endured tedious hours of hard work in the agricultural fields of San Francique and Penal. This experience made her determined to ensure that her children had a better life and appreciate the value of family. Along the way she found solace in her faith and religion, something that was passed on to her by her parents. Her reliance on religion helped her endure the unfortunate loss of her son Dianand who passed away in 1993.
In the quest to improve the quality of life for her family, she took advantage of the opportunity which came about in 1976 when a local shop in Siparia Road was up for sale.
With assistance from her parents, she sold her prized cow and jewelry to accumulate the downpayment for the business; a bold and fearless move at that time. This business later went on to become the Anand Low Price Group of Companies.
Sakunti was a single mother venturing into business.
However, she wasn’t alone.
She had full support from both of her parents as well as her children. Anand said his brothers and sisters assisted her in the shop before and after school which allowed them to build a special bond with one another thus creating an appreciation for family life. He said: “There was a lot of hard work and sacrifice involved in growing the company to what it is today.”
After Anand graduated from secondary school at the age of 15, along with his brother Dianand, they took the initiative to rent the building where the Uriah Butler Statue is currently located and opened a supermarket. They both spent endless hours working together and faced many challenges in operating this business.
However, this was the first step in allowing Anand to realise his passion for the grocery business and enabled him to gain 40 years experience in the retail industry and build Low Price Group of Companies.
Following the death of his brother, Anand continued to expand the business with the support and guidance from his family, especially Sakunti.
Anand said his mother embedded in all of her children to be humble and treat everyone as equals.
He said: “When she didn’t have much, she wasn’t as appreciated as she is now. Being the mother of a well-established businessman, people look up to her and greet her warmly.
This is one of the reasons she enjoys helping and giving to those less fortunate and pay attention to those who are often neglected as the children and elderly. She believes in Karma which is why she dedicates her life to doing good. From humble beginnings, with hard work, sacrifice and through the endurance of some very tough times.”
Anand said, at 90, his mother is awake at the crack of dawn everyday practicing her religion, yoga, meditation and has been a vegetarian for over 40 years.
He said: “She reads the newspaper daily and is not afraid to express her strong opinions on what is reported and current affairs. She spends most of her afternoons looking after her flower garden and is somewhat of an orchid fanatic.
“Because of her love for animals, if she had her way, she would still be nurturing cows and other farm animals.”
Anand has inherited this trait as he has found the time in his busy work schedule to look after three cows.
Some of her charitable work involves offering assistance to religious organisations, schools, children homes, sport clubs and needy families.
Her father was a founding member of the Kasheenath Mandir at Siparia Road; a place she considers her second home.
She has been actively involved in all aspects of its operation for over 40 years and is constantly being recognised for her religious fortitude. She is an avid reader and continues to educate herself on the teachings of the Hindu religion.
Her social activities include attending religious functions, entertaining her friends and family at her home and often visiting her children abroad.
As I approached the team-building exercise at the St Mary’s Children’s Home last week, all I could consider was the importance of the term and principle called suspending judgment. It is an element—a virtue, even—so necessary for good interpersonal relationships as for good marriages, child rearing and any other human situation of relationship building.
For my own wellbeing, growth and maturity and as a deliberate action to improve my empathy for others, I have been practicing suspending judgment. The benefits are amazing.
When I see a situation, I try to take it in the moment and use only the current and available values to inform my treatment of the people involved. If I do not do that I may make assumptions, without merit, about the people involved or the situation itself. Then I can walk away from that situation contented that I have a proper assessment, which I really do not have.
And in the culture that surrounds me, the next time I engage that situation, say in a conversation with others, in pure “Trini” conduct, you may well hear me speak as an expert on the situation/subject and with confidence too, enough to convince others that I know the facts; I am well informed.
Every now and then though, as with old habits, I still find myself defaulting to being too quick (and definitely out of place) to judge situations and people. I’m usually guilt-pricked because I have come to realise how often rushing to judgment served me nothing good.
Simply defined, suspending judgment speaks to withholding an opinion until there is sufficient information.
And, I am realising that it is still possible to rush to unfair judgments even with the appropriate amount of information. It’s a human erring, I find too, that it is related to my own or a person’s self-esteem.
Quite often rushing to judgment has more to do with a ones own shortcomings. We are socialised to be better or at least to pretend to be better than the other person. We are taught to mostly look at others and make judgment calls without much consideration for our own position. That unhealthy desire to be better is the impetus for judgment and gossip, also.
My mother—bless her sleeping soul—was the queen of adages. It was her quickest way to deliver her messages and warnings to us when she had a lesson to give or a point to make.
“Monkey can’t see he own tail” she would say as a way to tell you that your problems are as much as, or even worse that the other person you are criticising. She was usually right and if you took to her lesson and begin looking at or for your own “tail”; and if you were sufficiently honest or simply brave enough, you would begin to look at your own shortcomings and hopefully that could bring some humility to your judgmental heart, mouth, and spirit.
We as a people, are given to very strong opinions on things we do not really know. How often have you heard people pronounce on matters using hearsay as their best reference? I have heard some loud-mouthed arguments in my time from people I know to be uneducated on the point but speaking with shocking authority.
Very often too, we use myths and misunderstanding to cast judgment on people. I teach that very often when I am trying to give people a perspective on why we should not be too quick to judge people’s conduct/behaviour/situation, and especially be brazen enough to diagnose others with illnesses of which they/we know nothing.
Judging others promotes misunderstanding but also supports the bigotry to which we have grown accustomed. We are a people very quick to diagnose others and pronounce on them. We are so unafraid to make judgments of others but if we understand anything about the consequences of rushing to judgment we can become better people and so promote better communities - in the home, village, workplace or nation.
Steve Pavlina speaks about suspending judgement and puts it like this in his blog: “Whenever I write about certain topics, especially those that seem contrary to mainstream conditioning, some people voice very strong opinions. They communicate their thoughts with a high degree of certainty, as if adopting the posture of an expert.
“However, upon further inspection, it becomes readily apparent that most of these people have little or no direct experience upon which to base their opinions. Their knowledge of such subjects can hardly be classified as knowledge at all, since it’s derived largely from non-primary sources like media conditioning, third-party rumours, and supposition.” https://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2010/06/suspending-judgment/ That is so common in our community. That elixir of ignorance and coupled confidence and deep (without basis) conviction make for a society without compassion, without empathy, without grace and graciousness in the affairs of others. It signifies to me a depth of ignorance about living in this world. It exposes the lack of mindfulness in which we live—not dealing appropriately with the moment in the moment but rather, using our injured self and broken experiences to rush to the judgment of others.
CAROLINE C RAVELLO is a strategic communications and media professional and a public health practitioner. She holds an MA with Merit in Mass Communications (University of Leicester) and is a Master of Public Health With Distinction (UWI). Write to:
mindful.tt@gmail.com
