Organizers of the first annual West Indian Music Awards, held last month in Queens, have called the event a success - and the first of many more to come.
“I thought the show was a complete success,” said Dheeraj Gayaram of the nonprofit Dheeraj Cultural Foundation. “I’m looking forward to it being bigger and better next year. It will be a grander event,” he added, anticipating next year’s show.
The foundation - in association with Achievers Realty - presented the inaugural awards ceremony and musical event at Club Tobago on Liberty Avenue on July 15 to recognize the contributions of chutney music singers, composers, bands and other individuals connected with the genre. It also highlighted Caribbean accomplishments in media and broadcasting, theater and other areas.
Along with the award nominees, several special guests were honored at the event. Guyanese radio personality Eshri Singh, recording producer Mohabir, movie producer Rohit Jagessar and chutney singer Anand Yankaran were recognized for their cultural contributions.
The evening began with a grand red carpet entrance to the affair, and continued with dinner and then the awards ceremony.
Among the award categories and winners were Best Female Radio Personality - Sharmela Karim; Best Male TV Personality - Pradeep Kumar; Best Female TV Personality - Tanuja Raghu; Best Dance Group - Shiv Shakti; Chutney Traditional Male - Sam Boodram; Chutney Traditional Female - Rasika Dindiyal; Chutney Classical Male - Rakesh Yankarran; Chutney Classical Female - Ramrajie Prabhu; Chutney Soca Female - Drupati Ramgoni; Female Filmy Singer - Geeta Bisram; Male Filmy Singer - Raymond Ramnarine; Chutney Soca Male - Rooplall G; Best Stage Performer of the Year - Dhanraj Balgobin; Most Popular English Song - “Rum Til I Die;” Most Popular Hindi Song - Mor Tor;” Female Chutney Singer (Newcomer) - Sharon Ghanny; Male Chutney Singer (Newcomer) - Neil Mohamed; Female Filmy Singer (Newcomer) - Sharon Ghanny; Best Video - “Ladki;” Album of the Year - “Chutney” by Rooplall G; Album of the Year (Filmy) - Dil-E-Nadan; Promoter of the Year - Farouk Juman; Best Crossover Band (International) - Angels; Best Performing Stage Band - JMC Trevini; Best Accomplished Deejay - DJ Fess; Best Recorded Band - Gemini; Most Popular Band of the Year (International) Dil-E-Nadan; Male Filmy Singer (Newcomer) - Neil Mohamed and Best Media Editor - Buddy Singh.
For more about the awards, visit the Dheeraj Cultural Foundation Web site at www.dcfent.com or call Dheeraj Gayaram at 718-850-7952.
Connecting businesses
“Connecting New York and United States-based Businesses with the Caribbean and the Caribbean Diaspora” will be the theme of an August 22 gathering to be presented by the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Brooklyn.
The event, which also will feature a business networking reception, a membership drive initiative and an update on the chamber’s Caribbean Trade Business Center incubator, will be held at Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street at 5:30 p.m.
The chamber is celebrating its 22nd anniversary this year. Call 718-834-4544 to RSVP.
‘Fuse’ is lit
Under the theme “eat, dance and network,” “Caribbean Fuse” after-work affairs are held Thursdays from 6 to 11 p.m. at Fusion, 215 West 28th Street (between Seventh and Eighth Avenues.) The weekly session features free entry until 8 p.m., free drinks until 7 p.m. and there is a Caribbean buffet available.
Deejays providing the sounds for the event include DJ Kulcha, V Smoove, Fugii & Synco of Steelie Bashment, Sound Proof, Natural Freaks, Elegance Sounds, DJ Spice, Ontrack Disco, Dr. Wax and Foreign Bass. To RSVP for Caribbean Fuse, send an e-mail to afterworkfuse@gmail.com
Atlantic City-bound
Members and friends of the St. Lucia United Association are headed south to Atlantic City for a daylong casino outing on Saturday. Buses will leave from Utica Ave. and Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn at 8 a.m.
Tickets are $35. Call 917-693-4779, 917-604-8206 or 917-912-1366 for information and tickets.
Jazzing it up
The Cayman Islands Jazz Festival is returning November 20 through December 1 with an appealing blend of jazz and R&B performers, and vacation packages. For package information, call Cayman Express at 800-247-9900.
The Cayman Islands Jazz Festival is sponsored through a partnership between the Department of Tourism and BET Event Productions. To get a list of the performers, visit www.caymanislands.ky/jazzfest.
Black film fest
“Hollywood to Harlem,” a film festival featuring rarely seen African-American films from the 1920s to the 1950s, is underway at the Casa Frela Gallery, 47 W. 119th Street Harlem, through August 25.
The films come from the archives of the Mayme A. Clayton Library Museum, Culver City, Calif. The Clayton archives are one of the largest collections of African-American films in the world, dating to 1916.
Films will be shown at noon and 2 p.m. Admission is $5; seating is limited. Call 212-722-8577 and visit www.casafrela.com for a complete schedule.
Reprinted from The New York Daily News
