The Prime Minister recently highlighted the value of respect for elders in our society when she defended the act of bowing to her elder, the Prime Minister of India. Such traditions and values are important in a society with little or no respect for senior citizens.
I was, therefore, appalled to see at Jack Warner's Family Day a performance by the popular Indian dance group, Shiv Shakti, with a dancer dressed as an elderly grandmother (nanny) wining down to the ground, thrusting her hips and exposing herself in the most vulgar manner. The youths from Laventille looked on in horror while others jeered and laughed.
Some understandably enjoyed the display; the adults present, including the Commissioner of Police and National Security Minister Jack Warner, were clearly embarrassed. Here they are, trying to rescue a community of misguided youths and instill proper values and there is Shiv Shakti degrading in the worst possible way the matriarch of the family-the grandmother.
The State bestowed a national award on Michael Salickram and he is well-respected as the leader of Shiv Shakti but he has a done a great disservice to his people and the wider society. This dance was for many the lowest point in an otherwise wonderful day.
Krystal Jaglalsingh