Sundar Popo statue to be unveiled May 30
Wednesday, March 30 2011

TRINIDAD EXPRESS - By Nikita Braxton-Benjamin South Bureau - On Indian Arrival Day, May 30, a statue of chutney music icon Sundar Popo is expected to be unveiled in his hometown of Debe.

Minister of Housing and the Environment Roodal Moonilal made the promise to Popo's wife, Keyso Popo, last weekend.

Moonilal said the statue had not yet been erected since the State was "trying to find the best place".

Since 2008, the Sundar Popo Monument Committee had been making attempts to have the $50,000 statue on display.

Last Indian Arrival Day, the statue was supposed to be unveiled as part of Popo's tenth death memorial. But this did not materialise.

Born Sunilal Popo Bahora, the icon died on May 2, 2000 after popularising local chutney music. His fame started with his 1970 hit "Nana and Nani".

During a tour at Mohess Road, Penal on Sunday, Moonilal said all involved had agreed that the statue could be placed on Debe Junction.

This location had a heavy traffic flow and had "become almost like a tourist attraction. A lot of people from abroad when they come to Trinidad and Tobago, returning residents as well, come to Debe Junction for local cuisine and for recreational purposes," Moonilal said.

He said the site will be maintained by the regional authority.

"We will try to have an educational dimension to that. We can have something written about Sundar Popo, about his contribution to Indian culture," the Minister said.

Popo's wife and Gowtam Maharaj, chairman of the Sundar Popo Monument Committee, said they welcomed the move.