Rajkumar Krishna Persad

Born in Penal, South Trinidad, Rajkumar 'Krishna' Persad has been involved in the preservation and promotion of Indian Art and Culture for over fifty (50) years. He is married, the father of three children and four grandchildren. He is the first person in Trinidad and Tobago to have been awarded a scholarship by the Indian Government (ICCR) to study music and dance in India. He studied the style of Bharata Natyam under the world renowned Rukmini Devi Arundale in Kalak-Shetra, Madras and was awarded the title and honour of Natya Kala Ratna. He has travelled, performed and represented Trinidad and Tobago in many parts of the world including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, Singapore and South America among other countries. Krishna has been honoured to perform for HRH, Queen Elizabeth II at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1965 and the late Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi to name a few. He is the first Indian artiste to be awarded the National Award, the Humming Bird Medal in 1969 by the late Dr. Eric Williams. He is the Founder, Director and Choreographer of the Trinidad School of Indian Dance, the first of its kind to be established in this part of the world in 1967. He has conducted lectures, demonstrations and training in Indian dance throughout Trinidad and Tobago and has continued teaching up to this present time. Rajkumar "Krishna" Persad, this gifted artiste, is truly a Living Icon as declared by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. First Citizens Bank named him a "Maestro Extraordinaire." A man from such humble beginnings has made the world his stage, he promised his mother as a child that he would one day become famous and travel the world......Mission Accomplished. (Copyright Nisha Sharma 2023).