The UNC is not in the forefront of struggling for Indian culture. Had they been they would have been promoting Shiv Ratri festival and not a soca fete – “I love Choka.” The reality is that this political outfit called the UNC lacks a cultural identity.
Preceding the rise of Europe was the Renaissance or the rebirth of knowledge. It was a reconnection with its cultural past. The world is witnessing the rise of India with Narendra Modi at the helm. The success of India has more to do with a cultural renaissance than a political and economic resurgence.
Modi’s India is a cultural renaissance. He is invoking India’s civilizational pride and appealing to the masses to shun ‘colonial slavery’. There are several writers such as Sanjeev Sanyal, J Sai Deepak, and Vickram Sampath who are writing from a historical and cultural perspective to give fuel to this galloping rise of India on the world stage.
A political party must have a cultural identity. The PNM’s identity is Carnival, Christianity and Christmas. The PNM has insisted on having Carnival -The Mother of all Carnival- because it understands that carnival as an institution to rally its supporters.
For the UNC, its holy land is Macoya where the big festival is ‘I love Choka’ where the cultural Mahatmas are Super Blue, Iwer George and the Soca Divas etc. These are the people who are supposed to invoke pride in our cultural identity, to inspire us to strive for political power and forge a brighter future for Trinidad and Tobago.
Carnival is a sale’s pitch for alcohol, hence the reason why the Prime Minister has dubbed it the ‘Mother of All Carnival’. The alcohol lobby wants Carnival, and the PNM is at its mercy for its survival. This alcohol lobby does not want the UNC in power, hence no reason for the UNC to support the sale of their products. The reality is that the PNM is a political tool wielded by the parasitic oligarchy to subdue the supporters of the UNC.
As Hindus we should be preparing ourselves to fast and pray for Shivratri. This is not being done by the UNC leadership as it is busy promoting a soca fete- “I love Choka.”
