Dr. Shane Mohammed, a recently appointed board member of the National Council of Indian Culture (NCIC), has stepped down from his post, marking the third departure among the organisation’s five government-appointed board representatives in recent months.
Mohammed submitted his immediate-effect resignation to NCIC president Surujdeo Mangaroo yesterday, outlining his core grievance in an open letter shared with local news outlet the Trinidad and Tobago Express. The letter details that the unaddressed, widely circulated public narrative claiming Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar personally halted state funding for the 2026 Divali Nagar festival had been left uncorrected by the NCIC leadership, despite Mohammed’s repeated efforts to clarify the claim was categorically false. Mohammed noted he had joined the board earlier this year, after supporting the smooth execution of the NCIC’s April annual general meeting, with the explicit goal of bringing independent, non-partisan operational expertise to the newly elected leadership team. He added that he had already begun planning for the 2026 edition of the iconic Chaguanas-based cultural event, and had pre-emptively prepared for potential shifts in state corporate sponsorships due to updated government policy frameworks, long before the recent wave of withdrawals by state-linked enterprises.
The recent string of state sponsor pullbacks began last week, when a cohort of major public entities including telecommunications provider bmobile, National Flour Mills, First Citizens bank, and Caribbean Airlines all formally announced they would no longer provide financial support for the annual Divali Nagar celebrations, triggering widespread public debate over the event’s funding future. Prior to Mohammed’s resignation, two other appointed board members had already departed: one stepped down just last Friday citing conflicting professional work commitments, while a second resigned two months earlier, leaving only three remaining appointed representatives on the 23-person board, which is composed of 5 appointed and 18 elected members.
When questioned about Mohammed’s public concerns, NCIC head Surujdeo Mangaroo told reporters that all 18 elected board members remained fully active, and were leading the event’s various operational committees to ensure the upcoming 2025 Divali Nagar proceeds as scheduled. In an official public statement released the same day, the NCIC shared that it is moving forward with full preparations for the nine-day festival opening on October 30, with internal projections estimating more than 300,000 total attendees across the run. This year’s event carries the theme “Viveka: Discerning Truth in the Age of AI”, designed to explore traditional concepts of intellectual discernment and spiritual wisdom against the backdrop of today’s rapidly evolving digital and artificial intelligence landscape. The packed festival program will include daily performances from leading local and international artists, folk dance ensembles, and classical Indian musicians, alongside a sprawling commercial market, stalls serving authentic fusion Indian-Caribbean vegetarian cuisine, and a sprawling display of thousands of traditional handcrafted deyas paired with modern, innovative lighting installations. Organisers have stated they are on track to deliver a landmark, family-friendly cultural experience for local communities and international tourists alike, independent of the withdrawn state sponsorships.
Third NCIC board member resigns
