Torrance Mohammed, a man for all seasons

DR SAT BALKARANSINGH

A few days ago noted icon, businessman and cultural leader Torrance Mohammed died under tragic circumstances. The artistic fraternity and the country mourn his demise and pay tribute.

Born in October 1931, in Irie Village, Princes Town, he was the fourth of 12 children. His family was Muslim, and he was named Iqbal and later came to be known as Torrance. His great-grandparents had come from India under the British colonial system of indentureship to work on the plantations to build Trinidad’s economy. His father, a village imam, spoke and read the Hindi and Urdu languages, reading directly from the Ramayana, Bhagwat Gita and the Qu'ran.

Given the family’s modest economic situation, young Mohammed lived with his grandparents from four to eight years old. Early life with his grandparents taught him a valuable lesson. His grandfather, a Muslim, was a butcher and his grandmother, a Hindu, was a homemaker. They lived in peace and harmony. This practice of understanding and tolerance served him well throughout his life, as a husband, father, artist, leader, businessman and politician.

He attended the Princes Town RC school. Princes Town was originally called Savana Grande, where a RC mission had been established to colonise and convert the indigenous First Peoples of Trinidad. At eight, Mohammed moved back to Irie village and attended the Irie Government Primary School to sixth standard, then enrolled at the San Fernando Junior Technical School before going to work in the oilfields to supplement the household income.

During his free time Mohammed read extensively and went to the cinema. He learned fast, watching whatever movies came to the southlands – Indian and English – and especially those involving dance. He was also exposed to folk festivals in south; the annual Ramdilla, Jharoo (broom dance) Nagara (sung to Biraha music), kusti or Indian wrestling and Hosay with its martial art of gatka. He also attended Jagnas in Princes Town: the night of Indian weddings when there was music and dancing while meals were being prepared.

Mohammed recalled it was from the triangle – referred to as the square – in the middle of Princes Town that the “bara and channa sandwich” later renamed “doubles” was first introduced on a commercial basis as a street food. Badru Deen’s book Out of the Doubles Kitchen, on the history of doubles, gave credence to Mohammed’s statement.

He changed jobs, from apprentice technician to insurance salesman with the Maritime Insurance Co, learning salemanship, about money and investment, and how to win people’s confidence.

But the artistic impetus, creativity and the bright lights of the stage called. Dancer and choreographer Beryl McBurnie had returned from the US to Trinidad and founded the Little Carib Theatre and its dance company. Culture enthusiast and patron Canon Max Farquhar, rector of the St Patrick’s Anglican Church on Harris Promenade, invited her to teach classes. She commenced training at the old church hall on the promenade and the school, founded in 1955, was named the Arawaks School of Dance, to complement the Little Carib in Woodbrook.

Mohammed was one of the first students, along with Joyce Kirton. There were 40 students enrrolled. McBurnie appointed Kelvin Rotardier to continue the teaching. He left shortly after to seek further training in the US and Kirton left for the UK.

Mohammed found himself filling the role of leader of the Arawaks Dance Company. He introduced Spanish, French, English and Afro-Caribbean folk dances that were part of the folk culture of Trinidad. Together with his leadership skills and business acumen he built and directed the Arawaks’ brand name. He was one of the founding members of the San Fernando Arts council and member of the National Cultural Council. He was a member of the Trinidad and Tobago cultural contingent to Expo 67 in Montreal, Canada. Performing daily at the TT pavilion, he and other artistes spent over three months there before he went to Europe to perform in the locally scripted and directed play Man Better Man, under playwright, director, actor and writer Errol Hill.

In 1977 he was a member of the TT contingent to the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC '77), co-organised by the Government of Nigeria and Unesco and held in Lagos in September. Shortly after, he was off to an international youth festival in Cuba.

I met Mohammed for the first time in 1978. I was one of a few choreographers, along with him, invited by arts commentator, actor and dancer Aubrey Adams to plan for the opening ceremonies of the first world netball tournament being staged in Trinidad. My first impression of Mohammed was a well-dressed person with a sense of purpose, clipboard in hand, taking notes and issuing instructions to his dancers. His commitment to TT arts, especially dance, was obvious.

The National Cultural Council (NCC) organised a festival of the performing arts – choral music and dance. This was the catalyst for the founding of the National Dance Association of TT (NDATT). It was the first time in the country’s cultural history that a truly representative body of dancers and dance companies had come together: ballet, modern, limbo, Indian (classical and folk) and Afro-Caribbean genres. There were 23 dance companies under an executive comprising Jean Coggins, Cyril St Lewis, Carol La Chapelle, Molly Ahye, Carlton Francis, Rajkumar Krishna Persad and Mohammed as chairman. For the next two years the NDATT held annual dance festivals and regular training workshops, invited international companies to perform locally and participated in all Carnival activities of the National Carnival Commission (NCC).

Mohammed was married and divorced twice, but maintained cordial relations with his former wives and his children. He achieved Insurance Salesman of the Year awards and ended up with his own insurance agency under the Maritime brand.

He entered active national politics, serving the city of San Fernando for 16 years.

He assisted Nick Cumberbatch and Hamida Baksh in the 2019 TT Cuba educational and cultural exchange, helping to get the Habana Compas Dance Company to perform and do workshops in San Fernando for hundreds of enthusiastic students.

At 90, even though retired, he was still servicing his insurance clients and TT culture. He had led the Arawaks dance company, which has spawned many more dance companies, for over six decades.

Last year he visited his ancestral land, India. The tour was cut short because of the onset of covid19 and he returned home just before the country’s lockdown. Two major events were being planned for him, but were constantly rescheduled – an award function planned by his friends in the arts at Naparima Bowl, and a ceremony in recognition of his life’s work being organised by the Kathak Kala Sangam.

He called me three weeks ago, late one night, as if he had had a premonition, asking when the proposed events were scheduled.

“Don’t wait too long, I am in my nineties,” he said.

Our brother, you have served the country and the arts graciously and with distinction. May you continue to perform the dance of creation, and recreation in the hereafter, and may your name and contribution to this society be remembered long into the future.

Dr Sat Balkaransingh is a performing artist, author, economist, founder and artistic director of the Kathak Kala Sangam.