Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Dr Shad Gobinsingh almost didn’t make it back from India. Stranded for months in remote regions at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, he found himself cut off from civilisation, navigating strict lockdowns and living near areas of conflict while conducting archaeological fieldwork.
“Honestly, I could have died there,” he recalled in an interview with Guardian Media last Friday. “We were stuck in the desert, far from resources, with no way of knowing what was happening in the rest of the world. I’m just grateful to be home.”
Now safely back in T&T after completing his PhD in Archaeology at the University of Kerala, Dr Gobinsingh has shifted his focus from survival to legacy. He hopes to protect the country’s 150-plus archaeological sites and use them as a foundation for community tourism and cultural identity.
“Heritage belongs to the people, not just academia,” he stressed. “These sites can’t just stay hidden in books or museums. They should be places where people learn, connect and feel proud of their history.”
Dr Gobinsingh specialises in zooarchaeology — the study of animal remains recovered from archaeological sites. By analysing bones, shells and other remains, he pieces together the diets, economies and rituals of past communities.
“Animals weren’t just food,” he explained. “They were part of our economy, our tools, our clothing, even our spiritual lives. When you study animal remains, you get a deeper picture of how Indigenous peoples, enslaved Africans and indentured labourers lived, survived and interacted with their environment.”
This work, he says, can reframe how Trinidadians understand their own history.
“If you don’t know where you’re coming from, you can’t know where you’re going,” he added. “Archaeology gives us those missing pieces.”
From St Benedict’s to Kerala
His passion for history began at St Benedict’s College, where a teacher first sparked his curiosity. As a teenager, Dr Gobinsingh conducted “little digs” of his own, not realising archaeology was a career path.
At the University of the West Indies, he pursued a minor in archaeology with Dr Basil Reid and joined major projects, including excavations at the Red House, which uncovered a pre-Columbian site and human burials. The experience cemented his desire to pursue archaeology professionally.
With few opportunities at home, he won a scholarship to study in India. Under the mentorship of professors such as Dr Abhayan and Dr Rajesh, he specialised in zooarchaeology and completed both his Master’s and PhD—becoming the first foreigner to graduate with a distinction in archaeology from the University of Kerala.
But the journey was far from smooth. During fieldwork in Gujarat, miles from any urban centre, the pandemic erupted. Dr Gobinsingh and his colleagues were cut off for months, surviving on limited supplies. Returning to his home base in Kerala took four days by train under strict lockdowns and military checkpoints.
“It was surreal,” he said. “At times, it felt like we were prisoners. We had no idea how bad the pandemic was until we got word from the university. We were also near areas of conflict on the Pakistan border, so the fear was constant.”
The experience left him more determined than ever to use his training for Trinidad and Tobago’s benefit.
“I saw how fragile life is. I promised myself that if I made it home, I’d dedicate my work to preserving our own history.”
A vision for T&T
T&T has more than 150 archaeological sites, but many remain unstudied or undocumented. Sites such as Banwari Trace—home to the oldest known human remains in the Caribbean—are internationally significant yet poorly promoted.
Dr Gobinsingh envisions heritage parks, community digs and site museums—small hubs where locals and visitors can see artefacts from their own land. “Imagine schoolchildren being able to touch history right where it was found,” he said. “That creates pride and awareness.”
Eco-heritage tourism, he believes, could also become a new economic driver.
“When tourists come here, they should see Banwari Man, our pre-Columbian sites, our colonial history. That’s what makes us unique.”
For these plans to succeed, he says, government backing and proper bylaws are essential. “Archaeology isn’t something you can do alone. We need partnerships with the National Trust, universities and ministries to document and preserve these sites properly.”
Still, he believes the momentum is growing. With a handful of young scholars also pursuing PhDs, T&T is on the cusp of building a new generation of archaeologists.
“The opportunities are here,” he said. “But we need manpower, interest and training. Without that, our sites will stay buried and forgotten.”
At its core, Dr Gobinsingh insists, archaeology is not about bones or artefacts—it is about people.
“It’s about their stories, their struggles, their creativity,” he said. “Understanding our past helps us understand our identity today. Without that, we risk losing direction.”
For now, he is simply grateful to have survived India—and ready to begin the next chapter of his work, not just as an archaeologist but as a storyteller of T&T’s ancient past.
