T&T’s Deokinanan Sharma was supportive of Guyanese

Dear Editor,
Dr. Deokinanan Sharma (commonly known as Pope), a Trinidadian, passed away last week. Sharma-ji was former head of NCIC (National Center for Indian Culture or Diwali Nagar) of Trinidad that he led for many years; his name and Presidency was linked with the organization, allowing him to achieve fame. He was a remarkable individual, passionate about promoting Indian culture. His sense of self-discipline and personal sacrifices for promoting Indian culture has always been his guiding principles. When NCIC faced challenges on funding, Dr. Sharma did so with resilience, pride, and determination without kowtowing to politicians. He was an endless source of inspiration for many. He inspired his organization to stand up to state marginalization and discrimination (under both African PNM and Indian UNC administrations) with dignity when seeking funds for its many cultural programs, including Diwali Nagar and an Indian museum. And he as well as NCIC cooperated with and provided solidarity with Guyanese on a host of issues as well as providing a platform for Guyanese to espouse their views. Ravi Dev, Baytoram Ramharack, this writer, and other Guyanese spoke at NCIC at various conferences.
There are fond memories of remembering Dr. Sharma at countless interactions at NCIC headquarter, occasionally at his residence, and at many public events. I was fortunate to meet and interview Dr. Sharma multiple times in Trinidad over two decades. He invited me countless times for the annual Diwali Nagar. I attended the marquee event almost every year over the last couple of decades, as did many other Indo-Caribbeans from the diaspora. Diwali Nagar was always a sight to behold with its brilliant, spectacular lighting and attractive cultural programmes, singing dancing, acting, drama, other forms of entertainment, rituals, pomp, ceremony, delicious cuisine, and prize winning fun activities.
Dr. Sharma worked closely with several of Guyanese to plan conferences and seminars on Hinduism and social issues and attending our presentations. He also attended lectures of Jagan when the latter visited Trinidad to solicit support for restoration of democracy in our homeland. He sympathized with the struggle for the restoration of democracy in our homeland and provided empathy during the period of the ban on imports of food and religious items.
Dr Sharma was also known as a promoter of Indo-Caribbean cultural unity. He brought Indians from around the region and from around Trinidad to NCIC headquarters for the annual Nagar in October. Keynote speakers of the annual Diwali Nagar came from around Guyana (like Dr. Vindya Persaud) and the region and others parts of the diaspora. And he had encouraged Guyanese and other Indo-Caribbean people to transplant the Nagar with their own version in their territories.
The Indo-Guyanese and Indian diaspora honor and celebrate the remarkable life and legacy of this outstanding cultural leader. Dr Sharma was a true, cultural leader who had a profound impact on the Indian community. He was not just a leader of NCIC (National Center for Indian Culture) but a source of inspiration to other Indians in the diaspora.
Dr. Vindya Persaud, President of Guyana Dharmic Sabha, praised Dr. Sharma’s leadership of NCIC when she was featured speaker delivering the keynote address at the Nagar in 2016. She thanked him for unwavering dedication to the Indian community and the tireless efforts of himself and the organization in organizing and institutionalizing cultural events. As she noted, his organization brought people together and treated leaders of organizations with utmost respect. This organization has helped Indians and others to understand and appreciate Indian history, civilization, and culture. His vision and dedication live on through our actions and continued commitment to the causes he held dear.
Dr. Sharma did not dabble in politics, but he supported Winston Dookeran who remained with ANR Robinson in the split with Panday’s ULF in 1988. But Dr. Sharma supported Basdeo Panday and the UNC including his and the party’s rise to government in November 1995. However, Dr. Sharma was disappointed with allegations of corruption and the split between Panday and Ramesh Maharaj in 2001 that led to the defeat of the UNC in snap elections in December that year. Sharma supported and praised Kamla’s leadership in 2010, including her challenge of Panday for leader of the party, but became disappointed in aspects of governance and the stench of corruption. In private, Sharma was critical of Kamla for holding on to leadership of the party after her defeat in 2015 and for staying on as leader in spite of recurring defeats in elections. Sharma expressed confidence that under new, credible leadership, an UNC led united opposition will comfortably win the 2025 elections.
Dr Deokinanan Sharma’s legacy will stand as an example to all of us to persist in our immersion in Indian culture.

Yours truly,
Vishnu Bisram