India increases cultural presence in Trinidad

Three Indian musicians will join the Mahatma Gandhi Institute in Trinidad to teach Indian music and dance forms to those interested in Indian culture.

Three Indian musicians will join the Mahatma Gandhi Institute, Trinidad, from India to teach Indian music and dance forms to those interested in Indian culture.

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The three are dancer Pooja Malhotra, musicologist Raskia Ekbote, and tabla player Sangeeta Agrawal.

The Mahatma Gandhi Institute, located in Caroni, central Trinidad, is a cultural organisation promoting Indian arts and culture in the country for the past one decade.

According to a spokesman of the institute, Malhotra, a disciple of the legendary Pundit Birju Maharaj, will teach kathak and Indian folk dance to local students.

Dr Rasika Ekbote is the Hindustani classical vocal teacher. She received her initial training in the Gwalior gharana of classical music from her grandfather, Pandit Khiebuva, and later from Pandit Daji Karandikar.

Agrawal will teach pakhawaj, tabla and dolak.

"My mission is to promote these instruments throughout the world," Agrawal said.

The Indian population, majority of it Hindus, accounts for 40 percent of the 1.3 million people of Trinidad. Hindi is spoken widely in the region.