There was a young woman called Starkie. Who had an affair with a darky – The result of her sins. Was quadruplets, not twins – One black and one white and two khaki.

Earlier this year, I made it clear that regardless of which country the calypsonians come from, and whether they were black, white or“khaki” they deserved their righteous state and recognition. As you see, it has gone even higher, especially as we, in Trinidad and the Caribbean, are in a“Divali” (or Deepavali) Hindu festival of lights that symbolises the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. In addition, there is the Goddess Lakshmi, the deity of wealth and prosperity, who emerged from the churning of the cosmic ocean. In other words, it is an auspicious time, and there are some calypsonians who are not just propitious but calypsonians. More importantly, instead of two khakis, we have four!

Moonsier Daly

The first East Indian Calypsonian was Moonsier Daly, a schoolteacher and an“old boy” of Queen's Royal College in Trinidad. His many years as a performer, starting in 1920 and continuing through 1930, included leading a Sailor Band,“S.S. Reliance” as a“chantwell”.

According to“The Indo-Trini role in Calypso” by David Cuffy, Moonsier Daly was known as“The Indian Prince” and was what we called a good“bard,” a professional who, in many ways, used Calypso to perform magic. Essentially, he was a bard of great wit and voice who enjoyed tremendous respect of his peers. At the start, his family and others of Indian descent very upset about the“Prince.” He had shamed them by becoming a calypsonian hanging out with those kinds of people. However, he eventually got everyone on his side because he was not just a“Trini” or“Trinidadian” but someone who helped to bring the black, white and khakis together.

Sundar Popo

I was a little boy, and my mother made me listen to a song by Sundar Popo which started with,“Your mother's love you'll never forget/ The wrong things you do that you bound to regret.” Over the years, while he continued with the Indian songs, he joined the Calypso arena with songs like“I Wish I Was A Virgin” (my mother found me too 'little' to listen to it),“Scorpion Girl” and“Falling from A Plane.” Actually, instead of falling off the plane with a lady, I heard and sang in one.

The“Black Stalin”, who I considered the greatest calypsonian of all time, sang a song which he had written and was ready to use in the tent,“Sundar where de song, / Sundar where the song, / Sundar were the song you promised me so long.” Obviously, he had other things to do, including“Is the Spaner She Want/ Is the Spaner/ Is the Spaner she want is the spanner...” While there were people who would not understand the Indian words it did not stop them from asking the ladies if it was“spanner they wanted,” and if they said no, they were called“wrench.”

Drupatee Ramgoonai

Drupatee Ramgoonai is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian who moved from chutney (which is Indian folk music) to“Chutney Soca”, the name she gave to her first album in 1987, when she added the combination of Indian and African rhythms. The mix is interesting with,“If you see men wine and waving in the band (aye)/ If you see me chipping bout to beating iron (aye)/ If you see me moving on sexy woman (aye)/ Doh vex with me boss please try and understand (tell them)/...Then the chorus includes,“It is not me, oh no blame it on de music (tell them)/ Blame in on de band (blame it), blame it on de iron (blame it). It ends with,“Aye aye aye aye aye yea..”

But in 1988, she was the“Top Female Recording Artiste Of The Year 1988. Moreover, the ability and skill are clear and really“THIS LAND IS MINE.” And hers.

Thousand of feet a-mish mash

Thousand of blades went swish swash

In the cane fields of yesterday

A naked road guides the feet back

A dying sun paints the old shack

Break of dawn she will rise and say

This land is mine

Rikki Jai

From a student in Trinidad, Rikkid Jai became a Calypsonian in 1989 with two massive songs-“Sumintra” and“There is Hope” written by Gregory Ballantyne, himself a“Monarch” of Calypso.“Suintra” was about an Indian man in Trinidad who tried to woo an Indian-Trin woman with Indian songs, only for her to reject them in favour of soca.“There Is Hope” is a call for unity, faith, and action in Trinidad and Tobago, inspired by the nation's identity and spirit.

Again, it is the mix of chutney and chutney soca. Rikki very quickly made it to the Young Kings competition for three straight years and then, after being a singer with the Indian orchestras, in 2001, he was a finalist in the Calypso Monarch competition. He then won a White Oak and Water, walking away with TT$2 million in prize money, and in 2012, he was bestowed with a Hummingbird Medal Gold, a national award of Trinidad and Tobago. But Sumintra said after“Bindiya chamkegi” [Give me soca, aha aha] several times, Rikki Jai sang,

Sumintra born in a shack in Debe, and she parents from Indian Walk

This pretty girl have me tracking whole day filling me with she fancy talk

Is for years I sooting she, and she blushing back at me

But when I send my letter, she don't send no answer

So I hit the record shops, Indian records I buy up

When I reach by the girl she say,“Stop, Rikki, stop!”

This really is the mix of mixes- not just the chutney and chutney-soca, but Rikky Jai is the owner of Sheriff Street Restaurant and Lounge in Queen's, New York. He is married to wife Shelly and is the father of Aashish and Vaashish, their two sons.

*Tony Deyal heard what the lady told 'Boy I am Trinbagonian/ I like Soca action/ Take your Mohammed Rafi/ And bring Scrunter or Bally/ Only then you talking to me. (Sumintra – Rikki Jai).

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