Indian Heritage groups host first awards ceremony

It was an East meets West concert at the Thomas Saunders Secondary School as the SVG Indian Heritage Foundation and the National Council of Indian Culture of Trinidad and Tobago held their first awards ceremony and cultural session last Friday.

Over five days, members of the local Indian community received training in music and dance from their Trinidad and Tobago counterparts as part of a sharing of the Indian Heritage.{{more}}

President of the SVG Indian Heritage Foundation Elmore Gaymes said that assistance for the workshop came from local sponsors as well as from the Cultural Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago. He called on the local Indo-Vincentian community to be proud of their heritage and learn more.

The president announced that on Sunday, June 1, the Indian Heritage Foundation along with their Trinidadian contingent hoped to re-enact the arrival of East Indians who were registered and cleared immigration at Edinboro beach and later shipped to Indian Bay where they dis-embarked.

The show also included a fashion show of the traditional wear, numerous folk dances and as well as musical performances using instruments such as the “Sa re ga ma pa dha ni sa” and the Indian drum. Books on the Indian culture were also presented to Minister of National Mobilization Mike Browne and Culture representative, Ann Marie Venner.

The SVG Indian Heritage Foundation members described Minister of Culture Rene Baptiste as the Godmother of the foundation and wished Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves a speedy recovery from his recent accident.