Sookdeo Jagdeo

Sookdeo Jagdeo born on July 18, 1946 to Jagdeo & Popo(Silochna) in Gandhi Village, Debe, South Trinidad. His grandmother taught him Bhojpuri (Hindi) at home. When he was 14 years old he started singing bhajans at Yagnas. Sookdeo has had a very long impressive career spanning across the globe. He sang on the radio when he was 14 for which he received rave reviews. He then joined Prof. B.M. Bhattacharya in Princess Town, where he studied drama, music and language which helped him tremendously to develop his vocal skills. Later he visited Guyana when he met the great Mukesh at the Maha Sabha Hall in Guyana. On that visit he performed with Mukesh, Mohan Nandu & Govind Ram. Upon his return he acted & sang in the Shakuntala Drama which took place at Naparima Bowl and Queens Hall. He later entered the Rafi Arzoo Singing Competition judged by The Great Mohd. Rafi and Enoch Daniels where he placed first. Sookdeo's fame "spread like wildfire" throughout Trinidad, after winning that competition. In 1967 he won a scholarship through the Indian High Commission to pursue his musical dream in India at the Bhariti Kala Kendra of Delhi and the Delhi University. He studied vocals, languages and music for almost 5 years. On his stay in India he performed on many stages and he sang on the All India Airwaves. With years of musical training, upon his return to Trinidad with the magic he created he won the hearts of all his fans. Sookdeo toured extensively throughout the Caribbean, Guyana, Suriname and many more countries. 1990, he entered the Popular Mastana Bahar Competition where he placed 1st in the Grand Finals. Sookdeo Jagdeo has always been a Freelance Singer. The highlight of his life was definitely being a playback singer for the movie Operation Maconaima and performing on stage with the Late Great C.H. Atma. Sookdeo a highly versatile singer certainly has had a glorious career impressing his audiences wherever he performs. It is with deep regret at this time that we inform you of the passing of Sookdeo Jagdeo, who died on Thursday Nov. 8, 2012. We at Hindisongstt would like to pay tribute to one of Trinidad & Tobago's most Celebrated Artiste and express our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the Late Sookdeo Jagdeo. We have added Audio Samples of the voice of this Great Artiste for the listening pleasure of his many fans across the globe, taken from our library of music. (Copyright Nisha Sharma 2023)