Dil-e-nadan

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Sean's friends smile again
Musical tribute for slain schoolboy
Carolyn Kissoon South Bureau
Saturday, April 8th 2006

THE gruesome murder of their friend, Sean Luke, plunged pupils of the Waterloo Hindu School into a state of despair. Principal Nanran Maharaj said the pupils were depressed and sad over the loss of their "good friend". For the first time, since Sean's death, the pupils were singing and dancing with smiling faces yesterday, Maharaj said. Raymond Ramnarine, leader of crossover band Dil-E-Nadan, visited the school and spent about one hour singing with the children and urging them to be careful. "We have been having counselling throughout the week because the children and teachers were traumatised. So when Dil-E-Nadan asked if they can come to the school to spend time with the children I was pleased. This is part of the healing process for the children. It is the first time, since Sean's death, I am seeing them in such a joyous mood," he said. During his visit, Ramnarine performed a song which he wrote in memory of six-year-old Sean. "When I read of the murder of this young, innocent child, I just sat down and the words came to me. I took about one hour to finish this song and I had to come to the school this morning to share it with the pupils and teachers," he said. His song, "Angel in Heaven" left many of the teachers and pupils in tears. Ramnarine also shared several safety tips with the pupils, warning them to be wary of their surroundings and to always obey their parents. Ramnarine was accompanied by his brothers, Rennie and Richard Ramnarine, and band members Daddy Chinee, Whizzy and Kumar. Sean's best friend Vishal Harrilal clutched on to Ramnarine as the pupils joined him by singing the chorus. Little Sean was found buggered and murdered in a cane field, 200 feet from his home at Orange Valley Road, Couva two weeks ago. Two teenagers have since been arrested and charged with the killing. "Little Angel" - written and sung by Raymond Ramnarine
You've captured our hearts, and made us cry
Sweet angel of mine
My little angel, we said goodbye
Sweet angel of mine
Now you're in heaven, so far away
Don't worry my angel, we'll see you someday
Chorus
Angel in heaven, one day it will never end
Angel in heaven, one day we'll see you again
Angel in heaven, we'll always be together
Angel in heaven, we love you and miss you forever
Hum Tum Mohobat (We Love You)
You're in a safe place, so pure and true
Sweet angel of mine
With happiness and laughter too
Sweet angel of mine
Take care my angel, we'll always love you
We'll never forget you, God is with you

Dance with Destra and Ramnarine
Carolyn Kissoon South Bureau
Sunday, February 12th 2006

It was during a performance at a Carnival show, that soca diva Destra Garcia fell in love with a hit made popular by crossover band Dil-e-Nadan. Some three years later, Garcia met band leader Raymond Ramnarine at another Carnival fete where she again expressed her liking for the tune. "Destra and I were liming backstage and we were talking about the song. She was telling me how much she liked it and I was explaining the meaning to her. Then she came up with an idea that we should do the song together," Raymond said. Their schedules did not permit them to get together, but the dream to perform the song never faded. "That was a significant transformation in the chutney soca arena. With someone like Destra coming together with myself, a chutney artiste, it meant a unity that all of Trinidad and Tobago was waiting for," Ramnarine said. Last October, Ramnarine and Garcia were able to sit down and discuss plans for the tune. "We met and talked about it. But my band had to go on a tour so we could not start recording, but when I came back I called Destra and we made arrangements," he said. Ramnarine said his band along with Atlantik, Garcia's band, tested several musical pieces and came up with an ideal rhythm for the song. "I cannot say Dil-e-Nadan did the music, it was a combination of both bands and we were working together for days taking into consideration each musician's advice," he said. Garcia added: "I have always wanted to perform this song with Raymond and was looking forward to doing this for a long time. I am pleased with the response the song has been getting from both East Indian and Soca stations." The remix of the song, Aur Chale, from the band's 2003 album Wanted has been creating waves throughout the country and at fetes during the Carnival season. It is a combination of Hindi and English words, which translates "Come lets go dancing, Come lets go wining". "Destra was bent on singing the Hindi words so we decided that she should do the Hindi and since people are used to hearing me sing Hindi, I would do the English," he said. Ramnarine explained: "The song is about a guy telling a girl come let's go party. Carnival is about wining and dancing we thought it was ideal to release it about this time." Ramnarine said he hoped the song serves as an inspiration to citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. "We need this type of unity in this country. Who would have thought a soca and a chutney artiste would have come together and unite in song? We see this as something positive in chutney soca and we are looking forward to a bright future. Although we still appreciate the traditional chutney music, the crossover music reaches all walks of life and that is what this country is about," he said.

Everybody Raymond Loves From - T&T’s Most Eligible Bachelor To Devoted Husband and Father

By Marsha Mokool, Trinidad Guardian

Thousands of woman scream out his name when he appears on stage. Some even come right out and tell him they want to sleep with him at the end of his performance. But even as local heartthrob Raymond Ramnarine was being mobbed by scores of ravishing woman at the annual Valentine’s show Everybody loves Raymond, at the Anchorage on February 11, he only had two people on his mind. One’s picture is tattooed to his right shoulder and the other is represented by the wedding ring he faithfully wears at every show. “The temptation is always there. But at the end of the day, it’s my wife and son,” said the Gasparillo artiste. The 29-year-old lead singer of the top Indian orchestra Dil-e-Nadan bears a two-by-two-inch tattoo of his four-year-old son Varun Justin on his right shoulder with “Dil-e-Nadan for Life” inked underneath. Ramnarine, who got married on a Father’s Day weekend will celebrate his fifth anniversary with his wife Niala on June 19. Speaking in an interview on February 15, a casually- dressed, down-to-earth Ramnarine spoke adoringly about Niala, 29, his “first real love” and the mother of his child. “My greatest worry was finding someone to support me in my music,” said Ramnarine. “Love is a very strange thing. I guess if I did not find that person, I would still be single. Niala is a beautiful person inside -out. She is everything I want in a wife. “If she go to a show, she will sit quietly in the audience with my mom. She even made friends with a lot of my female fans. I know at first it was hard for her. But she know all these things, like meeting my fans on stage, comes with the territory. “What I admire about her is she stood her ground and showed me support I needed right throughout the marriage,” said Ramnarine, with glaring affection. Ramnarine meet her 16 years ago at Gasparillo Composite School. He was doing keyboards for Dil-e-Nadan at the time. “For five years it was just like hello-goodbye, like nothing at all. But there was always sparks. Then one day, after we both left school, I heard her sing bhajans. ‘I didn’t know it was her at first. But when I spoke to her and looked into her soft, tender eyes, I knew right then and there I would be waking up to that sweet face every morning for the rest of my life.” Five years later they were married. But Ramnarine admitted that marriage was the furthest thing from his mind when he started singing with Dil-e-Nadan 12 years ago. “When I was going to get married, my mom was a bit worried. She thought my career would suffer. I was also skeptical. I thought I would loose the attention of my female fans when I tied the knot. “But when I got married, I got more love and respect from my female fans. I have shown them love and respect over the years and now they are returning that love by their enduring support and loyalty. “But it’s a different love I show them now. People always believe you have a million women when you’re on stage. But I never push for that. “I still give them what they want—entertainment, ”he said, with a board smile. But Ramnarine admitted he still loves the attention he gets from his loyal female fans. “Who would not love the attention, I love the vibes and the energy get from the crowd!” As he continued to talk about his wife, he recalled, ”People on her side were skeptical too and I believe that she was insecure at times. But I kept telling her I love her and to have a little faith in me. “That’s why you should never judge a book by its cover. You should judge a person as an individual,” he said. “All marriages have their problems, but we have a great understanding. Any time we have a problem, we talk about it. We never go to bed mad. “My dad was always the family man. He treated mommy and us the best. I always said when I grow up I want to be just like him. I want to be the best husband and father in the world,” said Ramnarine. “My son is my life. I always wanted a son. I was not looking for a wife. But I knew for sure I wanted a son. That was my dream and Varun has actually helped to strengthen our marriage.” Varun has his own band room with a real drumset, keyboards and guitars. Ramnarine hopes one day his son will follow in his footstep. “He has a beautiful voice, perfect timing. When he sings, he brings tears to my eyes. We are trying to get him to sing on the next album,” said Ramnarine. “Music gets me high. I could be really down, having a bad day and I just have to sit down behind the keyboard and I get high. Varun gets the same look in his eyes when he sits behind the keyboard, ”he said, with pride. “It was never my intension to be a front-liner or singer. I always liked to sing. When I was younger I used to close my eyes and sing to my favourite film songs,” he recalled. Now Ramnarine serenades women with his dreamy voice everywhere the band goes. The Ramnarine brothers, Richard, 24, and Rennie, 31 [both married with children], and the rest of the Dil-e-Nadan crew have toured North America, Canada, Britain, Holland and Spain. They are working on their new album, which features the groovy soca Crazy, which has already been aired on several radio stations. We are not a chutney band. We play soca, pop, rock, reggae, Indian film songs, everything you can think of that represents Trinidad culture,” said Ramnarine. The band is gearing up to tour Turkey in the next few weeks. “I will never stop singing. It’s Dil-e-Nadan for life,” said Ramnarine.

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Always 1 step ahead...

	Sean's friends smile again Musical tribute for slain schoolboy Carolyn Kissoon South Bureau Saturday, April 8th 2006 THE gruesome murder of their friend, Sean Luke, plunged pupils of the Waterloo Hindu School into a state of despair. Principal Nanran Maharaj said the pupils were depressed and sad over the loss of their "good friend". For the first time, since Sean's death, the pupils were singing and dancing with smiling faces yesterday, Maharaj said. Raymond Ramnarine, leader of crossover band Dil-E-Nadan, visited the school and spent about one hour singing with the children and urging them to be careful. "We have been having counselling throughout the week because the children and teachers were traumatised. So when Dil-E-Nadan asked if they can come to the school to spend time with the children I was pleased. This is part of the healing process for the children. It is the first time, since Sean's death, I am seeing them in such a joyous mood," he said. During his visit, Ramnarine performed a song which he wrote in memory of six-year-old Sean. "When I read of the murder of this young, innocent child, I just sat down and the words came to me. I took about one hour to finish this song and I had to come to the school this morning to share it with the pupils and teachers," he said. His song, "Angel in Heaven" left many of the teachers and pupils in tears. Ramnarine also shared several safety tips with the pupils, warning them to be wary of their surroundings and to always obey their parents. Ramnarine was accompanied by his brothers, Rennie and Richard Ramnarine, and band members Daddy Chinee, Whizzy and Kumar. Sean's best friend Vishal Harrilal clutched on to Ramnarine as the pupils joined him by singing the chorus. Little Sean was found buggered and murdered in a cane field, 200 feet from his home at Orange Valley Road, Couva two weeks ago. Two teenagers have since been arrested and charged with the killing. "Little Angel" - written and sung by Raymond Ramnarine You've captured our hearts, and made us cry Sweet angel of mine My little angel, we said goodbye Sweet angel of mine Now you're in heaven, so far away Don't worry my angel, we'll see you someday Chorus Angel in heaven, one day it will never end Angel in heaven, one day we'll see you again Angel in heaven, we'll always be together Angel in heaven, we love you and miss you forever Hum Tum Mohobat (We Love You) You're in a safe place, so pure and true Sweet angel of mine With happiness and laughter too Sweet angel of mine Take care my angel, we'll always love you We'll never forget you, God is with you Dance with Destra and Ramnarine Carolyn Kissoon South Bureau Sunday, February 12th 2006 It was during a performance at a Carnival show, that soca diva Destra Garcia fell in love with a hit made popular by crossover band Dil-e-Nadan. Some three years later, Garcia met band leader Raymond Ramnarine at another Carnival fete where she again expressed her liking for the tune. "Destra and I were liming backstage and we were talking about the song. She was telling me how much she liked it and I was explaining the meaning to her. Then she came up with an idea that we should do the song together," Raymond said. Their schedules did not permit them to get together, but the dream to perform the song never faded. "That was a significant transformation in the chutney soca arena. With someone like Destra coming together with myself, a chutney artiste, it meant a unity that all of Trinidad and Tobago was waiting for," Ramnarine said. Last October, Ramnarine and Garcia were able to sit down and discuss plans for the tune. "We met and talked about it. But my band had to go on a tour so we could not start recording, but when I came back I called Destra and we made arrangements," he said. Ramnarine said his band along with Atlantik, Garcia's band, tested several musical pieces and came up with an ideal rhythm for the song. "I cannot say Dil-e-Nadan did the music, it was a combination of both bands and we were working together for days taking into consideration each musician's advice," he said. Garcia added: "I have always wanted to perform this song with Raymond and was looking forward to doing this for a long time. I am pleased with the response the song has been getting from both East Indian and Soca stations." The remix of the song, Aur Chale, from the band's 2003 album Wanted has been creating waves throughout the country and at fetes during the Carnival season. It is a combination of Hindi and English words, which translates "Come lets go dancing, Come lets go wining". "Destra was bent on singing the Hindi words so we decided that she should do the Hindi and since people are used to hearing me sing Hindi, I would do the English," he said. Ramnarine explained: "The song is about a guy telling a girl come let's go party. Carnival is about wining and dancing we thought it was ideal to release it about this time." Ramnarine said he hoped the song serves as an inspiration to citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. "We need this type of unity in this country. Who would have thought a soca and a chutney artiste would have come together and unite in song? We see this as something positive in chutney soca and we are looking forward to a bright future. Although we still appreciate the traditional chutney music, the crossover music reaches all walks of life and that is what this country is about," he said. Everybody Raymond Loves From - T&T’s Most Eligible Bachelor To Devoted Husband and Father By Marsha Mokool, Trinidad Guardian Thousands of woman scream out his name when he appears on stage. Some even come right out and tell him they want to sleep with him at the end of his performance. But even as local heartthrob Raymond Ramnarine was being mobbed by scores of ravishing woman at the annual Valentine’s show Everybody loves Raymond, at the Anchorage on February 11, he only had two people on his mind. One’s picture is tattooed to his right shoulder and the other is represented by the wedding ring he faithfully wears at every show. “The temptation is always there. But at the end of the day, it’s my wife and son,” said the Gasparillo artiste. The 29-year-old lead singer of the top Indian orchestra Dil-e-Nadan bears a two-by-two-inch tattoo of his four-year-old son Varun Justin on his right shoulder with “Dil-e-Nadan for Life” inked underneath. Ramnarine, who got married on a Father’s Day weekend will celebrate his fifth anniversary with his wife Niala on June 19. Speaking in an interview on February 15, a casually- dressed, down-to-earth Ramnarine spoke adoringly about Niala, 29, his “first real love” and the mother of his child. “My greatest worry was finding someone to support me in my music,” said Ramnarine. “Love is a very strange thing. I guess if I did not find that person, I would still be single. Niala is a beautiful person inside -out. She is everything I want in a wife. “If she go to a show, she will sit quietly in the audience with my mom. She even made friends with a lot of my female fans. I know at first it was hard for her. But she know all these things, like meeting my fans on stage, comes with the territory. “What I admire about her is she stood her ground and showed me support I needed right throughout the marriage,” said Ramnarine, with glaring affection. Ramnarine meet her 16 years ago at Gasparillo Composite School. He was doing keyboards for Dil-e-Nadan at the time. “For five years it was just like hello-goodbye, like nothing at all. But there was always sparks. Then one day, after we both left school, I heard her sing bhajans. ‘I didn’t know it was her at first. But when I spoke to her and looked into her soft, tender eyes, I knew right then and there I would be waking up to that sweet face every morning for the rest of my life.” Five years later they were married. But Ramnarine admitted that marriage was the furthest thing from his mind when he started singing with Dil-e-Nadan 12 years ago. “When I was going to get married, my mom was a bit worried. She thought my career would suffer. I was also skeptical. I thought I would loose the attention of my female fans when I tied the knot. “But when I got married, I got more love and respect from my female fans. I have shown them love and respect over the years and now they are returning that love by their enduring support and loyalty. “But it’s a different love I show them now. People always believe you have a million women when you’re on stage. But I never push for that. “I still give them what they want—entertainment, ”he said, with a board smile. But Ramnarine admitted he still loves the attention he gets from his loyal female fans. “Who would not love the attention, I love the vibes and the energy get from the crowd!” As he continued to talk about his wife, he recalled, ”People on her side were skeptical too and I believe that she was insecure at times. But I kept telling her I love her and to have a little faith in me. “That’s why you should never judge a book by its cover. You should judge a person as an individual,” he said. “All marriages have their problems, but we have a great understanding. Any time we have a problem, we talk about it. We never go to bed mad. “My dad was always the family man. He treated mommy and us the best. I always said when I grow up I want to be just like him. I want to be the best husband and father in the world,” said Ramnarine. “My son is my life. I always wanted a son. I was not looking for a wife. But I knew for sure I wanted a son. That was my dream and Varun has actually helped to strengthen our marriage.” Varun has his own band room with a real drumset, keyboards and guitars. Ramnarine hopes one day his son will follow in his footstep. “He has a beautiful voice, perfect timing. When he sings, he brings tears to my eyes. We are trying to get him to sing on the next album,” said Ramnarine. “Music gets me high. I could be really down, having a bad day and I just have to sit down behind the keyboard and I get high. Varun gets the same look in his eyes when he sits behind the keyboard, ”he said, with pride. “It was never my intension to be a front-liner or singer. I always liked to sing. When I was younger I used to close my eyes and sing to my favourite film songs,” he recalled. Now Ramnarine serenades women with his dreamy voice everywhere the band goes. The Ramnarine brothers, Richard, 24, and Rennie, 31 [both married with children], and the rest of the Dil-e-Nadan crew have toured North America, Canada, Britain, Holland and Spain. They are working on their new album, which features the groovy soca Crazy, which has already been aired on several radio stations. We are not a chutney band. We play soca, pop, rock, reggae, Indian film songs, everything you can think of that represents Trinidad culture,” said Ramnarine. The band is gearing up to tour Turkey in the next few weeks. “I will never stop singing. It’s Dil-e-Nadan for life,” said Ramnarine.