Ms Karishma Nanhu delivered the first lecture in the Quarterly Brinsley Samaroo Distinguished Lecture Series on Saturday 21 June, 2025 at the Divali Nagar.
Titled ‘Preservation of Indo-Trinidadian Heritage Sites: Challenges and Successes,’ the key themes of her lecture were the preservation of heritage sites, challenges faced in the preservation of historical sites in Trinidad and Tobago, identifying pathways for heritage sites preservation and engaging youths in heritage preservation.
In her presentation Ms Nanhu used a short film to highlight the effort to preserve the Exchange Shiv Mandir, an earthen structure which is among the early temples built by Hindus in Trinidad.
Ms Nanhu also outlined the need for every community to record and preserve its heritage.
During the Q&A, concerns were expressed about the State not doing enough to preserve historical sites. One member in the audience expressed concerns about documenting the role of Indians in the development of the dairy industry in Trinidad, and made reference to the dairy farm at the Queen’s Park Savannah before it was moved to St Joseph.
Concerns were also shared about paying attention too much attention to the past while neglecting the present challenges and stressed the Ned for us to renew our effort to practice our culture.
Ms Nanhu is described as a heritage professional and is currently working as a Heritage Preservation and Research Officer at the National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago. Among her duties are policy writing, research, community-based heritage projects, and documenting heritage assets. Ms Nanhu holds an MPhil in the History of Science, Medicine and Technology from the University of Oxford.
The lecture series is the initiative of the NCIC Heritage Centre. Launched in May 2015, the Heritage Centre is dedicated to preserving and promoting the rich Indian heritage in Trinidad and Tobago.
Professor Brinsley Samaroo (1940-23) was a Professor of History at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine and has done pioneering research on the indentureship. He was also responsible for pioneering the Indo-Caribbean Conferences. Dr Samaroo worked closely with the NCIC over the past years to make it a center for the hosting of conferences, book launches and other academic exercises on the Indian Diaspora.
