Victoria Maharaj is making significant contributions to preserving and promoting Hinduism and her Indian heritage through music.
Maharaj began her musical journey by studying the violin under Shivanand Maharaj. She later performed at various events, some at the Naparima Bowl and NAPA. She also plays the harmonium, with ongoing efforts to learn the guitar.
Her interests in music extend to various styles, including Shaastriya Sangeet, semi-classical songs, bhajans, and ghazals. Her commitment to preserving traditional wedding songs is particularly noteworthy, as she believes that this style of singing must be promoted to prevent its decline.
In the recent Sangeet Pradarshan competition at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Cultural Cooperation, her second year entering the competition, she clinched the coveted $50,000 first prize with her performances of Madhuban me Radhika, from the 1960 classic Kohinoor, and O mere dil ke Chain, from the 1972 film Mere Jeevan Saathi.
Asked about her experience during the competition and how she prepared for it, she said, “Sangeet Pradarshan was a wonderful experience on both occasions on which I entered. Meeting new persons and encountering such talented individuals is always heartwarming, and thankfully we’ve all kept good relationships with each other moving forward.”
Describing her preparation as intense owing to balancing work, school, temple events and rehearsals for the competition, Maharaj kept recalling a quote someone once shared with her: “Virtue lies in the struggle, not in the prize.”
The 23-year-old said she entered the competition this year with the ultimate goal of just having a good time.
[caption id="attachment_1044963" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Victoria Maharaj loves to perform classic songs from older Hindi films. -[/caption]
“I have experienced tremendous growth as a musician since I started entering competitions, and for this, I am ever grateful to the amazing team at Neeleeji Events, as they have been doing a lot to keep Indian culture going strong. They have provided individuals with a platform to keep promoting Indian culture in Trinidad and Tobago, through this as well as the Local Classical Singing Competition.”
She also expressed gratitude also to the Mahatma Gandhi Charitable Organisation, the Mastana Bahar team, and the National Council of Indian Culture for their work and contributions.
Maharaj, from Rousillac, is a high achiever in all aspects of her life. A planogram (visual representations of a store's products or services on display) analyst at a pharmacy, she is in her final year at UWI, St Augustine doing a BSc in financial management. She was awarded the UWI Open Scholarship in 2020, after getting a total of ten CSEC and ten CAPE passes. She is a former student of Naparima Girls’ High School, and the Avocat Vedic School.
Maharaj participated in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, through which young people gain essential skills and attributes for work and life such as resilience, problem-solving, teamworking, communic
