The Kalicharan dynasty

The passing of Wendy Kalicharan on May 8 marks the loss of a crucial cornerstone in the development of Carnival in San Fernando. Mrs Kalicharan was a robust presence in TT Carnival from founding the family's band alongside her husband, Ivan, in 1983.

At the time, the band was an important intervention in the parade of the bands, particularly in the southern city, where crowds were dwindling and bands were thinning as masqueraders journeyed north to play mas at the Queen's Park Savannah in Port of Spain.

When the Kalicharans began their band, the champion bandleaders of South Carnival were retiring from the scene. Undaunted, the husband-and-wife team, one of only a few couples to lead a major Carnival band, would go on to rival the legendary partnership of Edmond and Lil Hart for quality, customer-friendliness, and popularity as a band choice for the road.

Lil and Edmond had a 30-year partnership from 1962 to 1991, and like the Kalicharans, their children continued the band for another 22 years before selling the brand and band assets to Tribe.

When Mrs Kalicharan was diagnosed with cancer in 2020, the Kalicharan family had already been actively grooming their children, Ayanna and Aaron, to become their successors.

Ayanna has been the bandleader for years, and the band, infused with their children's enthusiasm and perspectives, has continued to flourish.

Kalicharan Mas, the brand that has evolved over the past 42 years (except for 2021 and 2022), has been a presentation of colourful, accessible and engaging designs on the streets of San Fernando. It is a unique blend of homespun Carnival traditions, southern people's hospitality, camaraderie, and a commitment to providing a good time on the road.

That approach has made the band a powerful presence in San Fernando’s Carnival. The Kalicharans have won the large band of the year trophy 31 times. Mrs Kalicharan brought her Queen of the Band portrayals to the finals at Dimanche Gras, having won many times at the regionals.

In 2013, the band scored something of a coup, luring then-President, the late George Maxwell Richards, and his wife down from their normal Port of Spain Carnival jump-up to join the band.

In marking the loss of Mrs Kalicharan – her funeral took place on May 10 – the NCC should take note of the role that she played, alongside her husband, in decentralising Carnival in the 1980s.

That stanched the flow into Port of Spain and refreshed smaller regional carnivals in spaces like Couva and Paramin, where micro bands and unique characters found an opportunity to flourish performing for an audience that slowly began to understand that there was not just mas beyond the lighthouse. It was individualistic, quirky, honest, and true to the origins of the festival.