NCIC
By: Amrica Seepersad & Reshma Sankar
Ravi Jagroop has been singing from
the tender age of six after discovering the Local Classical artform by
playing with an old cassette player
and old archived live-recorded classical music with compositions by singers
like Ramsumair Bissembar, KB Singh,
Yussuf Khan and his very own Aaja
(grandfather) Vidoor Gangadar Jagroop. He is now considered to be
one of the most talented and soughtafter Local Classical Singers in Trinidad and Tobago.
The exposure to this type of music
fostered an interest which later led to
numerous accolades in the field.
Jagroop has not received any formal
training in this field of music with any
one particular Guru and spends his
time looking for ways to improve his
technique, even if it means listening to
the pre-recorded or live recordings of
pioneer singers in the field. He exposes himself to as many styles of the
artform as he can and thus far, he has
managed to grasp and execute styles
such as Dhrupad, Tilana, Thumri,
Ghazal, Khimtaa, Hori, Laawni, Behaag, Daadra, Chaitee, Khanjree,
Qawaali, and Chaap/Shair. His thirst
for knowledge coupled with research,
contributes toward his growing competency on stage.
Some of Ravi’s achievements in the
field include; placing first at Sanskritik
Sangam 2004 - Local Classical Singing Category, Coca-Cola Teen Talent
from 2006 to 2008, Nationwide Independence Classical Singing (Under
19 Categor) 2006 to 2008, NCIC
International Classical Singing Competition 2009, Prime Minister’s Best
Village Competition - Local Classical
Singing category, second place at Bal
Vikas - Chowtaal Drumming Category
and Mastana Bahar Grand Finals
2012.
Issue 1
Jagroop has had the pleasure of performing on many prestigious platforms including the Naparima Bowl,
Divali Nagar, Queens Hall, NAPA and
Suriname. He has also had the opportunity to share such stages with great
pioneers of the artform such as Joseph Rampersad, Lappo Dindial,
Baliram Balaa, the late Jeewan Singh,
the late Ram Maraj, the late Ramraj
Yankatesu, Jameer Hosein, Lily Ramcharan, Sam Boodram and Boodram
Holass. He has also had the privilege
of working alongside artistes such as
Kries Ramkhelwan, Motimala Bholasing, Tulsi Malaha and Radgis Sewnandan (all of Suriname).
Apart from his Local Classical involvement, twenty-three year old Ravi contributes to the Indian Cultural industry
through his involvement in organisations such as the NCIC Youth Arm,
UWI Hindu Society, Tarouba Shri Sat
Chit Anand Ashram and the Maha
Kaali Shakti Temple of Moruga. He
assists schools for the Bal Vikas competitions, judges at Mastana Bahar,
and always finds time for performances as well as accompanying other
Above: Ravi Jagroop
7
May 2012
musicians on the dholak (drum). The
talented young man is a recent
graduate of the University of the
West Indies and is currently employed as an HSE Coordinator.
Jagroop recognises that there are
problems within the Local Classical
arena that hinder its sustainability;
problems which he would like to see
addressed such as increasing the market value for the music being produced. “When comparing it to the
chutney arena it is clear to see why
the young artistes are moving towards
a direction as such and it’s simply because of the fact that it pays! No Local Classical artiste or singer right
now could ever dream of seeing anything as close to the figure of two million dollars for one of his or her songs.
Promotion of the singing with some
attractive incentives will increase the
attention towards the art. It will also
address the long-term sustainability
which is the involvement of youths,” he
said.
Jagroop remains motivated and committed to doing all that he can for
Local Classical Singing in Trinidad
and Tobago. He feels blessed to be
able to be part of a generation keen
on preserving a treasured tapestry of
culture and spends many hours a
week teaching those younger than him
who not only show a willingness to
learn, but also do a promising job at
executing what they have learnt.
He has expressed his belief that the
Local Classical genre has the ability,
with ample support and propagation,
to stand up and stand out amongst all
other genres of Indian music in Trinidad and Tobago. He noted, “Efforts
to do so have failed in the past due
to a lack of interest, support or funding. Then there are the efforts of
many including the NCIC - which have
proved fruitful in the past and with
new vision and insight, will indeed
develop in the future.