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National Chutney Awards 2007
 President George Maxwell Richards presents Rasika Dindial with the award
for the Chutney Song of the Year
TriniSoca.com Reporters
Event Date: August 11, 2007
Posted: August 21, 2007
The National Chutney Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago (NCFTT) held their first ever National Chutney Awards on Saturday 11th August, 2007, at the Trinidad Hilton Hotel. The Patron of the event, His Excellency Professor George Maxwell Richards, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago; Minister of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs, Joan Yuille-Williams and scores of Chutney aficionados were in attendance.
At the beginning of the programme, Dr. Vijay Ramlal, President of the National Chutney Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago, welcomed the guests gathered.
Next to address the audience was anthropologist, Dr. Kumar Mahabir, who gave an overview of the Chutney art form. He described Chutney music as a musical form that has come a long way and whose roots run deep in the Hindu wedding ceremony when it was performed by women in the privacy of the dark during the Maticoor Saturday night. "It has moved from sacred ground to licentious halls; from rural community to urban society," he said. He also expressed that Chutney is evolving into a vehicle for Indian cultural aurality and visibility, and Indian artistes in Trinidad are refusing to be subjected to silence and invisibility on mainstream radio, television and stage. "Indians have used Chutney to negotiate space and place in Carnival and as a bargaining chip to legitimately demand a fair share of culture funds, media space and stage presence," he said. Dr. Mahabir went on to highlight how the creation of events such as Chutney Monarch, Chutney Brass, Chutney Soca, Chutney Calypso and Chutney Glow were examples of how Chutney music has influenced the construction of the Carnival festival.
 Minister Joan Yuille Williams receives an award on behalf of the Ministry of Community Development
Following this, the Minister of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs, Senator Joan Yuille-Williams delivered the feature address. She congratulated the work being done by the N.C.F.T.T. and committed to further supporting the work done by the Chutney Foundation. She related that on the advice of the past Indian High Commissioner, Mr. Avinash Chandra Gupta, Chutney singers and dancers form an integral part of contingents that leave Trinidad and Tobago.
From these opening addresses, the programme flowed into the awards which were awarded to a wide and diverse array of participants in the Chutney arena. Over 40 awards were presented to pioneers of the art form: composers, consistent Chutney sponsors, Chutney bands, Chutney DJs, Chutney sound engineers, Chutney dancers, Chutney videos, producers and performers. Three posthumous awards were also presented: to legendary classical Indian singer Yusuff Khan; the first ever National Chutney Monarch, Boyie Basdeo and Chutney Soca Inventor Garfield 'Ras Shorty I' Blackman. In addition, a special award was presented to three founding members of the National Chutney Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago: Dr Vijay Ramlal, Miguel Bermudez and Agnes Ragoobarsingh.
 | | Ramdeen 'Falco' Maharaj, 2006 National Chutney Monarch
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Ramdeen 'Falco' Maharaj and Rasika Dindian were the two biggest winners of the night. Ramdeen 'Falco' Maharaj won the Chutney Songwriter of the Year Award while he also was presented with the giant trophy and cheque for winning the 2006 National Chutney Monarch. Rasika Dindial won the Most Popular Female Chutney Artiste of the Year Award ahead of the other nominees Drupatie Ramgoonai, Ramrajee Prabu and Molly Ramcharan. Her hit song "Maticoor Night" also won the coveted Song of the Year award. The song is based on the Maticoor night, which within traditional Hindu culture is an almost exclusively female-centered ritual process meant to instruct the Dulahin (bride to be) on sexual matters through humour, dance, song and role-play.
Another big winner of the night was Neeshan 'Hitman' Praboo who copped three awards for winning the Chutney Soca Song of the Year, Most Performed Chutney Artiste Internationally and Most Performed Chutney Artiste Locally.
Nirmal 'Massive' Gosine won in both the Political Chutney and Parang Chutney categories while Chris Garcia won Best Produced Chutney Soca Video of the Era for Chutney Bacchanal. The popular Soca Chutney song "Lotay Lah", sung by Sonny Mann, won the award for Most Played Chutney Soca Song of the Era, while "Nani and Nana" by the late Sundar Popo won the Most Exported Chutney Song of the Era. Popular young Chutney singer, Adesh Samaroo, won the Most Popular Male Chutney Artiste of the Year Award.
 Abbi Blackman receives a posthumous award on behalf
of her father Garfield 'Ras Shorty I' Blackman
The evening was spiced up by several performances. Ramdeen 'Falco' Maharaj, 2006 National Chutney Monarch, treated the audience to his winning song, while Larry Pierre sang a Chutney gospel song.
Robert 'Might Trini' Elias then gave an energetic rendition of his popular song "Curry Tabanca".
The evening closed with a Chutney dance item by Kaveena, bringing an end to the laudable first ever National Chutney Awards. Though the evening was not without a couple of glitches, it proceeded smoothly and it was evident that a lot of hard work had gone into the preparation.
Awards
Consistent Sponsors of the Chutney Art Form
Angostura Ltd.
National Lotteries Control Board
Carib Co. Ltd.
Coca Cola
Ministry of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs
Recognition Award to the Founding Members of the National Chutney Foundation of Trinidad and Tobago
Dr. Vijay Ramlal
Miguel Bermudez
Agnes Ragoobarsingh
Honor Award to the First Ever National Chutney Monarch
Boyie Basdeo (Posthumously)
Honor Award to the Chutney Soca Inventor
Garfield Black (Ras Shorty I) (Posthumously)
Pan Chutney Pioneers
Junior Regrello
Jit Samaroo
Chutney Studio Engineer of the Era
Lalo Sound Company
Chutney Front House Engineer
Randy Subrath-Randy Sound Company
Chutney Recording Studio of the Era
Planet Rock Studio
Chutney Studio Engineer of the Era
Leston Paul and Coral Studios
Chutney Remix Engineer of the Era
Rockin Randy (Planet Rock Studio)
Most Consistent Chutney Venue Award
The Triangle (1 & 2)
Chutney Promoter
Randy Glasgow
Chutney Producer of the Era
Moean Mohammed
Chutney Dancers of the Era
Susan Badree
Sandra Beharry
Sherry Ramjit
Political Chutney Award
Nirmal 'Massive' Gosine
Chutney Parang Award
Nirmal 'Massive' Gosine
Chutney Gospel Award
Larry Pierre
Most Popular African Performer in Chutney Award
Cecil Funrose
Most Popular Caucasian Performer in Chutney Award
Robert 'Mighty Trini' Elias
Most Popular Chinese Performer in Chutney Award
Rex East
Best Produced Chutney Soca Video of the Era
Chutney Bacchanal (Chris Garcia and Shiv Shakti)
Best Produced Chutney Video
Mor Tor (Rikki Jai)
Most Played Traditional Chutney Song of the Era Award
Rajheem Jhem Jhem (Haniff Mohammed)
Most Played Chutney Song of the Era
Lotay Lah (Sonny Mann)
Most Popular Traditional Chutney Crew Award
Spread Pall Crew
Most Exported Chutney Song of the Era
Nani and Nana (Sundar Popo)
Chutney Arranger of the Year
Rishe Gyadeen
Chutney Composer of the Year Award
Rishi Mahatoo
Most Performed Chutney Band Internationally Award
Dil E Nadan
Most Performed Chutney Band Locally Award
Karma
Most Performed Chutney Artiste (live) Internationally Award
Neeshan 'Hitman' Praboo
Most Overall National Chutney Titles of the Era Award
Heeralal Rampartap
Chutney Film Song of the Year Award
Janam Janam (Anil Bheem)
Chutney Soca Song of the Year
Fire Water (Neeshan 'Hitman' Praboo)
Most Popular Female Chutney Artiste of the Year Award
Rasika Dindial
Chutney Composer (melody) of the Year
Rishi Mahatoo
Rishe Gyadeen
Classical Chutney Award
Yusuff Khan
Most Popular Male Chutney Artiste of the Year Award
Adesh Samaroo
Chutney Song of the Year
Maticoor Night (Rasika Dindial)
2006 National Chutney Monarch
Ramdeen 'Falco' Maharaj
Chutney Songwriter of the Year Award
Ramdeen 'Falco' Maharaj
National Chutney Awards 2007 in pictures:
www.trinisoca.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=76883
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