Surrendra Ramoutar adding the music to Pichakaaree Saturday, March 19 2011
TRINIDAD NEWSDAY - By SEETA PERSAD - Gifted Freeport musician, singer, and composer Surrendra Ramoutar has been spending many hours preparing for Pichakaaree 2011. He has been working with members of the newly launched band Sandeshe preparing singers for this much anticipated event.
Ramoutar, who is a secondary school music teacher, is an ace keyboard player. He has also mastered the saxophone and the steelpan and holds a bachelor’s degree in Music from UWI.
“Music has helped me to survive through many mishaps in life,” he said. Ramoutar’s journey into the world of music began when he was five years old. He attended music school, learning both “English” and Indian, music, and was successful both academically and musically.
He shot to stardom in 1994 when he took the coveted Mastana Bahar prize, and became a force to be reckoned with after the launch of the band “Melody Stars Orchestra” which was lead by his father Joseph Ramoutar.
Through the years he has acted as musical director and arranger until he was involved in an accident that left him with two broken arms. At the time of his accident he was preparing for a tour to Canada with the band JMC Trevini.
Ramoutar said he was on the wrong end of a “bad drive” by a vehicle on the northbound lane of the Tarouba flyover. He attempted to pull his car off the road and ended up on top of another vehicle on the southbound lane. Amazingly, Ramoutar remembers nothing about the accident. Hours after the accident, he regained consciousness at the San Fernando General Hospital.
“I only realised what had happened when I opened my eyes in the hospital. For me it was like coming back from the dead because I was in another world altogether. I couldn’t recognise the people around me for a short while,” he related.
Today, Ramoutar holds music close to his heart, having recovered from the accident that almost claimed his life. “The music helps me. It inspires me through these days and nights. There is always something to learn in music. And I am happy that my dad introduced me to the piano way back then,” he said.
He gave credits to his family – parents Joseph and Selochanie Ramoutar, sisters Vijyanti and Pooja and elder brother Shammi.
"I give credit to my parents for my success, especially my dad who has sacrificed to send me music school even though I was hesitant at first. I used to cry a lot because I didn't like it at first but I guess I was blessed with the musical talents to be versatile and to achieve anything I put my mind to as regards to music," he stated.
He recommends that young people develop their talents in the art of music since he says it helps an individual to cope with stress. "For a young person it occupies their time constructively and (it is) worthwhile other than finding themselves in bad company," he said.
Ramoutar admires soca star Machel Montano because of the energy he generates in his performances as well as Bollywood star Sonu Nigam and King of Pop, the late Michael Jackson.
Talking about the youths of today that have gone astray he said, "I think our youths need good role models in society who would spread positive messages to the nation at large. They need to practise proper moral values and become more spiritually inclined. Things are getting a bit out of hand now and parents need to seek more interest in their children especially with the company they keep."
He noted that East Indian culture has come a long way and the development of the art form has been generally good. However, though, he says, there has been a lot of changes in the direction it has taken.
A this year’s Chutney Soca Monarch competition, Ramoutar’s song took him to the semi-finals. About the song, he explained, "It is all about my girlfriend blaming me for being with her sister. But the truth is, her sister has been heckling me for months and she does not know it."
Ramoutar was quick to add that it was not a true story but one that he observed taking place in his community and decided to write about it.
Ramoutar revealed that, “Doing folk music in a bit difficult as the music can be changed on the spot to suit the singers.” However he admitted that he loves working with local singers as they are able to bring their compositions to life for the competitive stage.
