The National Chutney Foundation of T&T (NCFTT) intends to petition the Government for help in staging its International Chutney Soca Monarch competition scheduled for February 9, 2013. This was announced by Dr Vijay Ramlal, founder and president of the NCFTT, at the association’s annual awards ceremony at Gaston Court, Chaguanas, on Thursday night.
Ramlal said the NCFTT had been lobbying for funds for the past two years without success to get the show going. He said T&T was in danger of having this competition slip out of its hands if another country decided to stage one with a similar name. He said artistes from 24 countries are interested in participating in the competition, many of which had taken a liking to chutney, but were not nationals of T&T.
Minister of the Arts and Multiculturalism Dr Lincoln Douglas said chutney music was uniquely a product of T&T that should find its place on the stage with other world offerings. He said T&T had its own unique culture that differentiated it from that found in the ancestral homelands of the peoples of T&T, and his ministry was committed to putting culture on centre stage through several measures poised to make his ministry the top government agency.
Among the awards presented:
• KI Persad took most of the awards for his 2012 hit Single Forever. He copped the awards for Song of the Year, the Ras Shorty I Award, Entertainer of the Year, Best Male Chutney Soca Artiste, Most Performed Chutney Artiste Locally and Internationally, Most Exported Song of the Year (remix with Machel Montano) and the Chutney Melody Composer Award.
• Shivanna Ragoonanan took an award for her role in using the steelpan to cross cultural barriers.
• Rooplal Gildharie collected the Legends Award.
• Anthony Batson won the Junior Chutney Soca of the Year Award.
• Vekash Sahadeo won the award for the most promising Chutney Soca artiste.
• Ramdeen “Falco” Maharaj copped the award for the most patriotic song in celebration of Independence.
• Saleem Beharry was adjudged the Breakthrough Artiste of the Year.
• Hemlata Dindial won the Best Traditional Song for the Year with her song Basanti