Vedanand Hargobin has always been interested in politics.
He often sat down with his late father, Chaitram Hargobin, to watch the news and discuss current affairs at their Penal home.
Now years later, the 20-year-old is the UWI, St Augustine, Guild of Students vice president and has won best debater at the 2024 Youth Parliament.
Although he wishes his dad was still here to congratulate him on his achievements, he believes he has made him proud.
Hargobin attended the Tulsa Trace Hindu Primary School and then Naparima College, San Fernando.
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At the secondary level, he studied a combination of business and science. And he now studies computer science at UWI.
He told Newsday he remains a devout Hindu as he was raised in a “very religious household.
“My dad was a pundit (Pundit Ram) and I grew up around temples."
He also learnt to play classical Indian music.
"I started with the tabla around age nine and the harmonium and vocal training. Then when I was in secondary school, I was very much involved in the Indian cultural club…And I’m still very much involved in that with the Hindu Society at UWI.”
He said he is also a pundit in training, hoping to follow in his father’s footsteps.
He said his family was always “really close,” which mainly included him, his mother Vindy Maharaj-Hargobin, father, brother and two grandmothers.
Sadly, his father died in 2020 owing to an allergic reaction to being stung by a wasp.
Hargobin recalled the “difficult time” coming to terms with the loss.
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“I was 17 and to lose my dad at such a young age was not something I expected
“Both my parents lost their fathers at a very young age as well so it was very scary when I was even approaching that age and I was hoping nothing bad happened, and it did,” he said followed by a brief silence.
He recalled his father always showing an interest in young people who became involved in politics.
“He was always very passionate about our politics and he was always someone to say, ‘Let’s give this new or young person a try.’
“We’d sit down and watch the TV and watch the news and see what’s happening in the country.”
And he added, “If I’m being honest, politics was something that always fascinated me. Not specifically political parties but just how politics works – government systems, democracy…”
He recalled a school project that required him to find a famous quote, and he chose Mahatma Gandhi’s, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
Hargobin said, “That has resonated with me ever since.”
He said he was excited when he learnt he was chosen to be part of the Youth Parliament.
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The debate was held on November 25 at the Red House and was about four-and-a-half hours long. The judges were opposition senator Jayanti Lutchmedial-Ramdial, Toco/Sangre Grande MP Roger Monroe and Joanna Kazana, UN Resident Coordinator for TT.
This year’s topic was the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the classroom.
He was the MP for St Augustine and was on the opposition bench.
He began his presentation by saying, “We need to ensure that both regionally and internationally, now and in the future, the country of TT can remain competitive, specifically in the field of education.”
This was met by supportive thumps of desks from his colleagues.
Since the government representatives said AI policies could not be implemented in classrooms at this time, Hargobin gave them two options:
“Don’t be a reactive government and be a proactive government, or resign from this Parliament and let a proactive opposition take your place.”
He had a lot of other participants laughing throughout his contribution.
He said it was a fun and interesting experience and warmed his heart to be around other young people interested in “policies, Parliament and politics.
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“It was refreshing to know it’s not just me (at this age) who cares about these things and that I’m not weird to be into them.”
However, he noted that preparation was a lot of work as he juggled that with being on the guild and studying.
He said it was when he actually sat in the Parliament's chamber that reality hit him.
That was his second visit to Parliament, the first being a school field trip.
“So I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s real now,’” he said, laughing.
His mother watched from home live on TTT and was very proud of him. Before he could even message her to talk about winning best debater, he opened WhatsApp to see several congratulatory messages from her.
Growing up, he said, he “wasn’t allowed to be shy,” which he credits to her.
“I could remember her saying, ‘Don’t be scared, what ever happens, happens, but you have to try,’ and I would ask, ‘Mom, why can’t you do it?’ and she would say, ‘No, it’s your time for that now.’
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“So that started off in temple then it moved on to secondary school and kept going. So she always encouraged me to be outspoken and speak in public and not to be scared of saying the wrong thing because you have to learn at some point.”
While he was extremely thankful for his mother’s support, he admitted his father’s absence had an impact on him during his special moment.
“It’s the dream of every child to make their parents proud…I would have liked to hear that from my dad, too.
“It hurt to know he wasn’t there to tell me, ‘I’m proud of you,’ or ‘You’re doing well,’ but hearing it from my mom just made it a lot better.”
Hargobin wants young people, like the Mahatma Gandhi quote, to “be the change you want to see.
“A lot of people my age say they don’t want to be involved in politics, people complain about certain things in society and then they don’t want to vote…
“It makes more sense that you have a voice and a choice in choosing who are the decision-makers of the nation.”
Hargobin will graduate in 2025 and is considering doing his master’s in either international relations or data science.
