A very good friend and a distinguished citizen of T&T – those were the words used by Dharmacharya Pundit Dr Rampersad Parasram (pictured above) to describe the late former NCIC President Dr. Deokinanan Sharma.

Dr Sharma, who passed away yesterday after ailing for some time, served the National Council of Indian Culture for several decades, most notably as President until 2023.

He was awarded the Hummingbird Medal (Gold) for his contribution to local culture.

Speaking at a cultural programme for the visit of India’s Minister for External Affairs at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Cultural Co-operation last evening, Pundit Dr Rampersad Parasram took a moment to pay tribute Dr Sharma.

Earlier in the programme, High Commissioner of India to T&T, Dr Pradeep Singh Rajpurohit extended condolences on Dr Sharma’s passing before addressing the crowd on the Minister’s visit.