Wonder how many of us growing up in rural communities in Trinidad remember the Village Panchayat ? The word “panchayat” literally means “assembly” (ayat) of ( panch) wise and respected elders chosen and accepted by the local community to give advise or settle disputes among individuals. 
My grandfather Prabudhas, was employed as a lawyer's clerk in the 1950s, therefore the villagers of Quarry Village, considered him the village elder and thus they would seek his advise and bring their problems to him . As a little child growing up I always wondered why so many people paid him regular visits on an afternoon. When asked my father said " they having a panchayat".
Now that I reflect the concept of the Village Panchayat was in the early 1950s and 60s a novel approach adopted by village elders in settling disputes and solving problems of villagers in a peaceful manner
Source:  Virtual Museum of T&T

During peak turtle nesting season (1 March—31 August), five of the seven sea turtle species found globally return to Trinidad’s beaches to lay their eggs. Trinidad is the second largest leatherback nesting site in the world. Two months later, turtle hatchlings emerge (especially from June to August). Witnessing the nesting ritual, and clutches emerging from the sand, is an unforgettable experience
Where giant leatherbacks come ashoreTrinidad is one of only a few places in the Caribbean where the giant leatherback female practises her timeless “family tradition” of returning to the place where she was born to lay her eggs. The sight of these huge creatures swimming in the rough waves of the Atlantic and then making their way up on to the beach is incredible. The whole process of watching her give birth to hundreds of eggs — from the digging of the hole with her flippers, to the “backfilling” after the delivery, to her return to the sea to mate again — can be witnessed on any north or east coast beach, but especially at Matura and Grande Rivière (here you can see up to 50 on some nights).
Trinidad is the second largest leatherback nesting site in the world, with more than 6,000 of these heavyweights (up to 2,000lbs) travelling across the Atlantic to nest on the north and east coasts every year, from 1 March to 31 August. About two months later, the clutch of babies will emerge, like magic, from the sand pit. (Peak season for seeing hatchlings is June to August)
Nesting grounds for five different turtle speciesThis country is home to five of the seven species of sea turtles found globally; all are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. The leatherback and olive ridley are listed as vulnerable; the green and loggerheadas endangered; and the hawksbill is listed as critically endangered. Three species — the leatherback, hawksbill, and the green turtle — nest on the beaches. Only a few dozen hawksbill and green turtles (40 at most) nest on our beaches each year. The loggerhead and olive ridley are less common locally but they are occasionally sighted at sea. There have been a few nesting records but these are few and far between.
Where giant leatherbacks come ashoreTrinidad is one of only a few places in the Caribbean where the giant leatherback female practises her timeless “family tradition” of returning to the place where she was born to lay her eggs. The sight of these huge creatures swimming in the rough waves of the Atlantic and then making their way up on to the beach is incredible. The whole process of watching her give birth to hundreds of eggs — from the digging of the hole with her flippers, to the “backfilling” after the delivery, to her return to the sea to mate again — can be witnessed on any north or east coast beach, but especially at Matura and Grande Rivière (here you can see up to 50 on some nights).
Trinidad is the second largest leatherback nesting site in the world, with more than 6,000 of these heavyweights (up to 2,000lbs) travelling across the Atlantic to nest on the north and east coasts every year, from 1 March to 31 August. About two months later, the clutch of babies will emerge, like magic, from the sand pit. (Peak season for seeing hatchlings is June to August)
Nesting grounds for five different turtle speciesThis country is home to five of the seven species of sea turtles found globally; all are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. The leatherback and olive ridley are listed as vulnerable; the green and loggerheadas endangered; and the hawksbill is listed as critically endangered. Three species — the leatherback, hawksbill, and the green turtle — nest on the beaches. Only a few dozen hawksbill and green turtles (40 at most) nest on our beaches each year. The loggerhead and olive ridley are less common locally but they are occasionally sighted at sea. There have been a few nesting records but these are few and far between.
Trinidad is the second largest leatherback nesting site in the world, with more than 6,000 of these heavyweights (up to 2,000lbs) travelling across the Atlantic to nest on the north and east coasts every year, from 1 March to 31 August. About two months later, the clutch of babies will emerge, like magic, from the sand pit. (Peak season for seeing hatchlings is June to August
Nesting grounds for five different turtle speciesThis country is home to five of the seven species of sea turtles found globally; all are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. The leatherback and olive ridley are listed as vulnerable; the green and loggerheadas endangered; and the hawksbill is listed as critically endangered. Three species — the leatherback, hawksbill, and the green turtle — nest on the beaches. Only a few dozen hawksbill and green turtles (40 at most) nest on our beaches each year. The loggerhead and olive ridley are less common locally but they are occasionally sighted at sea. There have been a few nesting records but these are few and far between.

Where giant leatherbacks come ashoreTrinidad is one of only a few places in the Caribbean where the giant leatherback female practises her timeless “family tradition” of returning to the place where she was born to lay her eggs. The sight of these huge creatures swimming in the rough waves of the Atlantic and then making their way up on to the beach is incredible. The whole process of watching her give birth to hundreds of eggs — from the digging of the hole with her flippers, to the “backfilling” after the delivery, to her return to the sea to mate again — can be witnessed on any north or east coast beach, but especially at Matura and Grande Rivière (here you can see up to 50 on some nights).

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Is Trinidad and Tobago the vacation destination for you?  Should you visit?  Maybe… maybe not. There are many reasons you should not venture to our shores despite Vogue Magazine listing this twin island destination as one of the hottest travel destinations for 2017!
Here are 16 ‘tongue in cheek’ reasons why travelling to Trinidad and Tobago might not be one of your best ideas:
Click here to see full article

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
It is this faith in God, and herself, which is guiding Keziah John to success.
At just 11-years-old Keziah, a primary school student, is being celebrated for earning a distinction in mathematics at the January sitting of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations which are set for older students in secondary schools, and even adults.
Despite attracting national attention, the math whiz insists she is just an ordinary girl, with an extraordinary work ethic.
Keziah, alongside her mother Caron John, spoke to Newsday Kids about her achievement, challenges, expectations and most importantly her love for puzzles.
A student of the Specialist Learning Centre in St Augustine, Keziah, who sits the SEA exam in May, credits her passion for problem-solving and above average analytical skills to her teacher Noble Felice.
However, Keziah's walk to success began with her first steps, according to her mother, who fondly recalls going to pick her daughter up from pre-school only to find her sitting and listening to lessons in the kindergarten on the same compound.
"I knew there was something special about her. I couldn't describe it but I could definitely see a mature sense of understanding behind her eyes. It was something I have tried to nurture within her without taking away her childhood."
While many students have found themselves within a rigid routine of school, extra lessons and deep study, Keziah does not confine herself to a particular schedule, instead making up her study plan as she goes along.
"The first thing I need to do is eat when I get home. Then I go through the workbooks and see what has to be done. It's something I've grown accustomed to and I don't really follow a particular schedule. People do that?" she says and laughs.
She places more attention on topics she does not understand rather than reviewing and reciting material wholesale.
Keziah is no stranger to routine and discipline as she is active in the Roman Catholic church and serves on mornings as an altar girl at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception, Port of Spain. This means that she must wake up at 4 am for the latest to get to the cathedral's 6.30 am mass and then make it to school in St Augustine on time.
"My family has done a lot to give me the strength and discipline I need to succeed and make it through the day. Sometimes when it feels too much I know I have their support. Their advice really goes a long way."
In the face of her success at the CSEC level, Keziah is still nervous about sitting the SEA examination. Admitting while she believes she can do it, the mere idea of the exam can be intimidating. But how can someone so familiar with complex equations years ahead of her grade level be intimidated by a simpler exam?
"In the exam room you're by yourself. It's just you and the paper and with mathematics, you either know the answer or you don't."
However Keziah continues to move forward, hoping to pass for her first choice of Holy Name Convent, Port of Spain. She hopes to one day be able to motivate other students to go beyond their comfort zones and excel in their passions.
"But that's all in the future," she says with a smile.
Source:  The Loop, April 5.

For the last three months, I have been a part of the Sokafit BodyMORPH programme, a three-month fitness programme that incorporates weight training, nutrition advice and twice-weekly Sokafit classes.
The programme is an offshoot of Sokafit, a fitness system created by media personality Lisa Wickham and her business partner Sheldon Felix.
As the name implies, the programme is fuelled by soca music but more than that, it takes elements of our Carnival culture and packages it into a fast-paced soca dance fitness class.  Yes, there is wining but there is also waving – in each class, participants are given bandanas to wave – and there are moves inspired by the Dame Lorraine Carnival character and sailor dance. The moves are also named after places in T&T such as the Buccoo Bounce, Bago Rock and the Sando.
With Sokafit officially registered in Australia, France, Canada and, most recently, South Africa, the programme is not just about exporting an indigenous fitness system but also exporting T&T culture to the world.

For the last three months, I have been a part of the Sokafit BodyMORPH programme, a three-month fitness programme that incorporates weight training, nutrition advice and twice-weekly Sokafit classes.
The programme is an offshoot of Sokafit, a fitness system created by media personality Lisa Wickham and her business partner Sheldon Felix.
As the name implies, the programme is fuelled by soca music but more than that, it takes elements of our Carnival culture and packages it into a fast-paced soca dance fitness class.  Yes, there is wining but there is also waving – in each class, participants are given bandanas to wave – and there are moves inspired by the Dame Lorraine Carnival character and sailor dance. The moves are also named after places in T&T such as the Buccoo Bounce, Bago Rock and the Sando.
With Sokafit officially registered in Australia, France, Canada and, most recently, South Africa, the programme is not just about exporting an indigenous fitness system but also exporting T&T culture to the world.
When we train the coaches we do a cultural aspect of the programme, we teach them about the culture of Trinidad and Tobago, the multi-ethnic influences on the music and how they are going to use the music to impact the choreography on the class,” said Wickham, just back from South Africa where she spent over six weeks training coaches. She was initially joined by Lashaun Prescott, head coach of Sokafit and founder of the Elle dance school.
Prescott was the one Wickham and Felix contracted to design the Sokafit programme after Felix came up with the idea to get into fitness as a way to diversify their business. The duo had worked together for years in entertainment, pioneering, among other things, the way music videos were shot and produced.
“We were looking to diversify from what we know which mainly entertainment and he wanted to do a TV show in fitness. I know in aerobics I would be in the back of the class wining and they would say no and I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t wine. I found other forms of fitness were too strict in the movements and not necessarily dance and I wondered why we couldn’t combine the two and do something that people at home could do. So initially it was conceptualised as a television show,” explained Wickham.
Describing Prescott as the epitome of dance and soca, Wickham said when she first produced the COTT Awards where she met the dancer. She watched as Prescott was introduced to Machel Montano and went on to dance for him with her group of dancers from Elle.
She said they approached Prescott with the idea but she had been accepted to go to New York University to do her Master’s in dance.

“We said we will wait on you. By the time she came back in 2012, I was doing Home Again and Girlfriends Getaway and the film business was booming.  In December 2015 I said we have to do Sokafit, if we don’t do it now someone else will. In January 2016 we shot the teaser with Lashaun. People loved it and TV6 said yes they are on board and once it hit the airwaves people were like how do we get this in our gym,” recalled Wickham.

The tipping point, she said, was when Maurisa Gibson Bailey, the only exercise physiologist and sports scientist in the country, requested a Sokafit class at the Mucurapo West School where she teaches.  
“We had a meeting with her to plan it and as a scientist, she said this is a proper fitness system. For instance, she said wining is called circumduction of the waist and if you repeat these moves over and over you will see the benefit to that part of the body.  She explained the benefits of each move and she agreed to come on board and with Lashaun, a group of Elle dancers, Sheldon and myself we sat on the floor in the studio week after week workshopping the moves, developing the criteria for coaches and developing the programme,” said Wickham.
To qualify as a coach, participants must learn the physiology and impact of Sokafit on the body and do a written exam as well as practical exams.
Sokafit’s growth from television was really as a result of them responding to the needs of the market.
After featuring the Mucurapo West School, other schools started calling and the founders embarked on an educational tour where children exercised and given lectures on fitness.  They did 23 schools in all including seven in Tobago.
Adopting the #onefitnation and #onefitworld slogans, Wickham and Felix decided that in an effort to help combat non-communicable diseases in the country, they could bring Sokafit to communities around the country through free community burns. From Plymouth and Roxborough in Tobago to Point Fortin and Matura, Sokafit held community burns all over T&T.
Classes began in various venues when members of the public came forward to train as coaches. The first coach outside of the Elle dancers was Tiffanie Dennison, whose father enquired about her training in Sokafit. Dennison was already a fitness coach in other systems and loved soca music.
Based in South, she today conducts Sokafit classes in San Fernando and Central Trinidad at six gyms.
“We had our first international coach from Australia, Jamie Trahanas. She comes every Carnival and she and Lashaun are friends. When Jamie saw Sokafit she wanted to be trained and certified and is now a super coach,” said Wickham.
Last year, they got an email from Tania Parissi, an Italian, who teaches Salsa and Zumba in Montreal, Canada.
“She was looking for a new form of fitness to introduce to her studio in Montreal and she came here not knowing anything or anyone, she trusted the process and now she just launched the Family Fit featuring Sokafit kids. Training with her was Jenny Pauline, who is the sexy, vivacious coach for the French Caribbean in Martinique and Guadeloupe. She has huge classes with up to 100 people.”
Stating that they plan to be all over, Wickham said she already had links in South Africa as she does a lot of film work there and in showing her business partner the Sokafit videos, she was encouraged to establish the system there.
“So Lashaun and I went across and we trained 22 coaches.  We expanded the curriculum there to include business studies and communication skills to be used as an empowerment tool in the townships,” she said.
Describing the cultural immersion of the programme, Wickham said in South Africa, they recreated the J’ouvert experience with powder and the paint, and then explained the significance of the tradition in the Carnival context.
Asked about the challenges in growing the Sokafit brand, Wickham said in T&T some dismiss it as just a wining thing.
“We take the benefits of soca dance for granted but this has been put into a fitness system to help people meet their fitness goals. Within the system is repetition, in a fete you not going to jump the same way all night to get the benefits,” she explained.
As a start-up, she said, finance is always an issue especially when it comes to legal fees and associated costs of setting up in different countries. She praised ExporTT for holding their hands through their international expansion.
She said from a human resources standpoint, they have been able to rely on satellite relationships with a team of videographers, photographers, coaches, graphic designers, doctors and nutritionists who all support Sokafit.
Wickham, who has kept herself relevant in business and media since she first appeared on Rikki Tikki at the age of six, knows all too well that innovation is key to survival and that has been applied to Sokafit. The BodyMORPH programme is an offshoot product to help people focus on their goals of losing weight and getting fit and includes blood work, body analysis and nutrition advice.
A recently launched product is the Chip2Burn which will be held in communities. Participants chip behind to soca music as they do on Carnival days before engaging in an intensive burn.
Asked about the future plans for Sokafit, Wickham was mum.
Source:  The Loop, March 30.


 
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Not many people get to hold an Oscar, but Trinbagonian compositor Adrian Nurse has achieved the dream.
Nurse who works as lead compositor with acclaimed visual effects studio Framestore Studios, said the golden statuette, a symbol of excellence in US film for over 90 years, was 'heavier than it looks'.
"It's heavier than it looks, I was scared to drop it," he joked, speaking to LoopTT on the amazing award, which his team won for Best Visual Effects in Blade Runner 2049. 
The film also won a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) award for the same category. 
A former student of Queen's Royal College, Nurse, who now lives in Montreal, Canada, said the win feels 'incredibly surreal' especially as it's a first for the province of Montreal.
“Winning feels incredibly surreal. We all thought we worked on something special, but didn’t really expect it to win!"
"This recognition from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences truly validates the time and sacrifice all 160 members of the team put into this film. It’s probably the most I’ve worked in my life."
"The award also has an extra significance here in Montreal as we, [Framestore Studios], are the first studio to win in the history of the province," he said. 
The 35-year-old compositor has worked on several blockbuster films including Guardians of the Galaxy, The Edge of Tomorrow, Alien: Covenant, Paddington, Frankenweenie and many more. 
Nurse said he's also a huge fan of fellow Trinbagonian Sekani Solomon, who recently worked on the biggest blockbuster of the year, Black Panther. 
"Sekani and I are great friends, we talk every week. We are constantly bouncing ideas and concepts off each other. I’m his biggest fan, the work he did on Black Panther is simply amazing," Nurse said. 
He also had some advice for other Trinbagonians trying to break through in the film industry. 
"Practice your art, never stop trying to improve yourself. Surround yourselves with talented people who inspire and challenge you and who will pull you up with them."
"Practice till you're blue in the face, till you're so tired you can’t see straight. Then the next day, do it again. One day the world will reward you for it," he said.
For more information visit his IMDB page: http://imsr.me/AdrianNurseIMDb ​