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Shiv Shakti dance group Blacklisted

By Yvonne Webb and Erline Andrews, Guardian TT

THE popular Clico Shiv Shakti dance group is claiming it is being blacklisted by some persons claiming to hold a UNC agenda. The group was asked to withdraw from last night's closing ceremony of the Divali Nagar, organised by the National Council for Indian Culture.

Indra Persad, administration officer of the group, and PRO Rennie Mohammed said Michael Salickram, Shiv Shakti's artistic director, received a call from NCIC executive member Surujdeo Mungroo who told him of the cancellation "because there was going to be certain dignitaries in the audience and he did not want them to be uncomfortable."

Mungroo could not be reached for comment, but NCIC head Dookienanan Sharma said the group was asked to withdraw because the NCIC had requests from several other groups to be a part of the closing ceremony.

Mohammed and Persad however believed the action stemmed from their stage appearances at PNM platforms during the last election and may have unwittingly offended Mrs Oma Panday.

Persad said calls were also being made for the public to boycott the upcoming Kumar Sanu show on which they are slated to perform.

Mahendra Persad, organiser of that show, blamed a Radio 90.5 talk show for "making an issue of it on air.

"They asked callers whether they should boycott the show if the Shiv Shakti dancers were to perform because of their association with the PNM, and 90 per cent of the callers agreed.

"I don't advertise with them and I think this is why they were trying to get rid of my show and target Shiv Shakti," Mahendra Persad charged.

It is a charge denied by Radio 90.5 manager Kiran Maharaj. Maharaj claimed it was the callers who called for the group to be boycotted, not the station's hosts. She said show co-host Tony Maharaj made it clear Shiv Shakti were professionals and free to perform wherever they wanted to.

Noting the CL Financial group, which sponsors the Shiv Shakti group, was also a major shareholder of Radio 90.5, Maharaj said the claims by Mahendra Persad were "worrysome, because they enjoyed a good relationship."

At a news conference at Rienzi Complex on Friday, Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday was pressed to comment on rumours he would not attend functions where the group was billed to perform because it has portrayed his wife Oma, in a negative way.
Panday responded: "If they did they should apologise."

Persad and Mohammed however denied they ever intended to offend Mrs Panday and put it all down to "misinformation". They said if they had offended, they apologised.

Persad admitted a former member of the group who has not performed with them since 2000 portrayed Mikela Panday with Pink Panter for his calypso "Captain's Prayer" — a song alleging a relationship between Mikela and Captain Gary Griffith.

She said following that, they performed at the UNC rally on December 8, 2001 and were hugged and kissed by the Opposition Leader, "so I don't understand why one year later they are having a problem with us."

Admitting this ostracism could hurt the group financially, she expressed "hurt and disappointment".

Salickram said: "We have been performing for all the political parties and we have never had a problem since 1995."

He said this year they also performed for Citizens Alliance at Tunapuna, the UNC at Debe, at the launch of Dr Roodal Moonilal's campaign, for Nizam Baksh fund-raiser and also for the PNM at their rally at the Eddie Hart Ground.

"As a group we have tried to embrace all the ethnic strains. We are professionals and if we are called upon to do a job, we do it. You have never seen Shiv Shakti holding a PNM flag or holding a UNC banner and saying vote UNC or vote PNM," he said.

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