Caption: Hans Hanoomansingh. Photo: Facebook/Gideon Hanoomansingh
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Dear Editor,
Hans Hanoomansingh was President of the NCIC for many years and was the leader who conceptualised the first-ever Divali Nagar. And it was Hans Hanoomansingh who after two successful Divali Nagar celebrations publicly announced that he was appointing Deokinanan Sharma to a created post: Chairman of Divali Nagar.
Nine years later, it was Hanoomansingh who, in anticipation of the country’s 150th anniversary celebration of Indians’ arrival in Trinidad, dispatched communication to the Government of India inviting its head of state to visit the Republic.
Such visionary thinking was beyond the ken of other organisations in Trinidad such as the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, which hastily negotiated for a sharing of events at the 11th hour.
President Shankar Dayal Sharma arrived in Trinidad and addressed a joint assembly of parliament while wearing a bullet proof Kurta and later went to NCIC and later for a brief period at the Maha Sabha.
Hanoomansingh had worked with Kirpalani’s as its public relations officer for many years during the time of its founder Ram Kirpalani. A position that he would bequeath later to Roy Boyke. He was a radio voice with Melodies of India on Radio Guardian.
As head of NCIC, it was Hanoomansingh’s vision to allow the NCIC to be a vehicle for cultural and religious harmony with the raison d’etre being harmony in the Indian community and in the country. To this end, he contemplated having Islamic scholar Imran Hosein, Reverend Roy Neehal and Pundit Krishna Maharaj as part of a forum on inter-religious dialogue.
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After the success of two Divali Nagar in 1986 and 1987, calls were made in sanctorum to have a Hindu as leader to replace Hanoomansingh – a Presbyterian.
In one big voop, the NCIC, which was cohabitated towards Indian Culture, was metastasised into Hindu culture, effectively shunting aside all other religions, but in particular the Muslim and Christian community: the life’s work of Hanoomansingh and its predecessor leaders had now gone down the drain.
The one lasting legacy of Hanoomansingh Divali Nagar continues to this day and no great innovation has ever risen out of that organisation to this day.
Ronald Bhola
Caroni
Via email
