May 27, 2015



*MEDIA RELEASE*





*Mastana Bahar** - The longest running (45 years) local talent show on TV*





*Mastana Bahar *is the theme of this year’s edition of the Indian Arrival
Day magazine produced by the Indo-Caribbean Cultural Centre. The magazine
is edited by anthropologist Dr. Kumar Mahabir in commemoration of Indian
Heritage Month (May) in Trinidad and Tobago.



The magazine captures the history and evolution of *Mastana Bahar* [Joyful
Season] which is undeniably the longest running (45 years),
locally-produced TV talent show in Trinidad and Tobago, and perhaps the
Caribbean.



*Mastana* is the longest running talent show compared to competitive and
non-competitive shows as well as Indian and non-Indian cultural TV
programmes. Its closest local rival is *Scouting for Talent* which ran for
30 years (1963 - 1993) and was hosted regularly by Holly Betaudier.



Since its inception in 1970, *Mastana *has broadcasted 1,274 episodes
(shows), featured approximately 22,650 performers, 10,192 performances and
15 orchestras. At present, *Mastana* is aired on GISL TV 4 on Saturdays
from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and
Thursdays from 9:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. It is also broadcasted on IETV
Channel 1 on Sundays from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.



In 1962, *Indian Variety* premiered with the memorable television host, Pat
Mathura. Eight years after its debut, it paved the way for the emergence of
a new show, *Mastana Bahar.* It became an instant hit. *Mastana* attracted
more attention than *Indian Variety*, particularly because of its
innovative format which included a dynamic host, intense competition and
grand prizes. The show was first produced by Sham Mohammed on July 4, 1970
and aired live on Trinidad and Tobago Television (TTT).



The popular talent contest TV series now comprises 14 preliminary rounds,
10 semi-finals, a grand final and an all-star show. In 2014, the season
finished on the 11th of December.



Auditions take place on Sunday mornings at four venues: Barrackpore,
Chaguanas, San Fernando and Valencia. As many as 60 contestants from all
across the country compete, and from this pool, eight persons are usually
selected for the preliminary episode. Rehearsals and recordings for
the *Mastana
Bahar* series take place at the Rampersad Brothers’ Ranch at Raju Trace in
San Francique Village in Penal.



Some of the grand final winners of *Mastana* who have become national and
international stars include Parvati Maharaj (1970), Mungal Patasar (1974),
Jameer Hosein (1975), Polly Sookraj (1978), Virendra Persad (1985), Michael
Salickram (1986), Shiv Shakti Dance Group (1988), Dragon Boys Tassa Group
(1989), Kiss Natraj Dance Group (2003), Pranava Maharaj (2005), and Neval
Chatelal (2006).



Since its advent in 1970, *Mastana Bahar* has never received an annual
subvention from any government to help produce the series. Except for one
newspaper, the popular weekly show does not receive any print media
attention.

Renowned US musicologist Peter Manuel (2000) stated that “Mastana Bahar has
evolved into an institution in Trinidadian culture.” In her book entitled*
Music in Latin America and the** Caribbean* (2004), Malena Kuss wrote that
since the 1970s, the local talent TV show has been a central feature of
local cultural life.



One significant by-product from the success of *Mastana Bahar *is the
immensely successful *Children of Mastana* (COM). This distinctly-separate,
but still closely-related Indian cultural talent show premiered in 1995 and
was originally conceived by Sham’s second son, Jamal Mohammed. COM runs for
12 weeks and *Mastana *is aired for 26 weeks. Sham’s eldest son, Khayal
Mohammed, produces both series for 38 weeks. COM begins annually in January
and ends in May, usually on the Indian Arrival Day weekend.



Other spin-offs of *Mastana* have been *The Mastana Bahar* *Travel Club*
and the now-defunct *The Indian Cultural Pageant*. The pageant was a live
annual concert that was held for 25 years from 1975 to 2000.


Some of the *Children of Mastana *stars include Ravi B, Nisha Bissambhar,
Nadia Madoo and KI. In 1995, Vishal Kris Persad (KI), son of JMC Triveni
Orchestra’s bandleader, Virendra Persad, became the first winner of *Children
of Mastana* when he was just eight years old. Now, he has two *Chutney Soca
Monarch* titles under his belt.



Many of the finalists of COM have become popular artistes in their own
right with growing fan bases. For example, Neval Chatelal won second place
in *Children of Mastana* in 1995 and first place in *Mastana Bahar* in 2006
as well as the first prize in the non-Indian talent show, *Digicel Rising
Stars* in 2010.



Sham Mohammed, the founder of *Mastana Bahar*, also created other avenues
for Indian cultural exposition and competition. He realised that there was
no annual national beauty contest highlighting Indian attire. He also noted
that there were hardly any beauty pageants in which women did not have to
bare themselves in a swimsuit. Therefore, he decided to establish an
innovative beauty show entitled “*Miss Mastana Bahar Queen*” as part of his
TV series in 1975. The popular segment continues to flourish to this day.



A FREE digital version of the magazine can be viewed by using the link

https://icctrinidad.wordpress.com/



For hard copies of the magazine, contact 674-6008, 756-4062 or
[log in to unmask]



See *attachments* for (1) an image of the magazine cover, and (2) 4 photos
of Sham Mohammed



……………………………………….



For verification and details of this PRESS RELEASE, contact Dr. Kumar
Mahabir


Tel:  (868) 674-6008

Tel/fax: (868) 675-7707

Mobile (868) 756-4961

E-Mail: [log in to unmask]
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