What ever happened to the Maharajh Kids?

It was about the year 1956 in Pepper Village, a small settlement near the town of Fyzabad in southern Trinidad, an 8-year-old youngster named Malaviya Maharajh (Mal) first showed interest in the Steel Pan. Coming from a typical East Indian family, where non-traditional East Indian activities were frowned upon, he faced the disapproval of his peers.

Nevertheless, kids will be kids, and over the next few months, his younger brother, Valamekhi (Mickey) also showed interest, and proved to be even more proficient at the instrument. Mickey performed at local shows and talent contests, and basically stole the show every time. While Mickey settled in on the Tenor Pan, Mal decided to fall back on the Double Second. All this was relatively simple, since there was Mr. Boisey Rouse and the Southern Syncopators Steel Band just next door. They happened to have the kids' father, Kadar, as their manager.

Both Mal and Mickey started appearing on the "Auntie Kay Radio Show" (a talent contest) on Radio Trinidad (a local radio station), where they competed with the likes of Jemma Noel (a Trumpeter) and the Twisting Tots (Wayne and Marva Arthur, two kids who twisted their way to every one's heart). Most of the time they placed first in the contest, and before long, their other two brothers joined in. Anand went on a home made high-hat/kick-drum setup, and Kushwant (Kush) started on a single bass. Ranee, their only sister and the youngest, just couldn't be left out, so she picked up the only thing she could lift, the maracas. This was the inception of the Maharajh Kids, and by 1959, these five kids were well on their way to becoming a household name in Trinidad.

Later, they joined the travelling show, Texaco Caravan hosted by Holly Betaudier, and this lead to them headlining their own travelling show, "Cow & Gate presents the Maharajh Kids" which allowed them to perform all over Trinidad. They appeared on several radio and television shows, such as "Sat-teen Session" on Radio Guardian (another local radio station), and a Hurricane Flora Relief Show on TTT (Trinidad & Tobago Television). Columnist Brunell Jones of the Trinidad Guardian (a local newspaper) had regular articles and reports on The Maharajh Kids progress in school, and their musical career.

The Kids experienced their first "working" holiday in Barbados in 1961 during their Christmas school break. Shortly after their return home, they were being asked to visit Venezuela, but that never materialized. During their schooling, appearances out of the country were out of the question, and several offers had to be turned down over the years. Probably two of their biggest opportunities were the chances to appear on the Arthur Godfrey Show (the predecessor to the Ed Sullivan Show), and the Dinah Shore Show in the US. But again, due to schooling these offers were never even considered by their father who valued the kids' education above any fame.

They became a regular act at local spots like the Penthouse Night Club, the Hilton Hotel, Hotel Normandie, Bel-Air Hotel, Breton Hall Hotel, and the Sunday Serenade Show (Radio Trinidad). They started appearing on shows with top local acts like the Lord Bryner, Ed and Angela Johnson, John Agitation, Vilma Ali, Mighty Zebra, Winston Beharry, the Lord Kitchener, and the Mighty Sparrow. When Johnny Nash appeared in Trinidad in 1961, the Maharajh Kids were one of the opening acts.

In about 1963, a similar group called the Niles Kids came to light. They were sponsored by Klim Milk, but seemed to have disappeared just as fast as they had surfaced. By the mid to late 1960's along came the Samaroos. Just about that time (1966), the oldest Maharajh Kid, Mal, finished high school at Queen's Royal College and left for Chicago to continue his studies. This marked the end of the Maharajh Kids as a musical group. One by one, the kids left the country for the same reason, and by 1969, they were all gone.

They all live in Canada now, and no two are in the same city. Four of them are still involved in music, but only Ranee, the youngest, is still involved with the Steel Pan... she has her own project training local kids to play steel band music, and keeping the culture alive. Kush played bass guitar and drums in a group for a while in the '70's, but is now content with just listening to music. Mal currently plays keyboards and guitar as a freelance musician. Anand is into keyboards and studio production. Mickey is an arranger, and an established guitarist. However, it's all part-time now because they each have their professional careers and just don't have as much time as they would really like to contribute to their in-bred love of playing music and entertaining others.

The Maharajh Kids along with their parents withstood a lot of ridicule, harassment, and put downs, for being involved in an art-form that was, at the time, not considered the thing for children of East Indian or any other ethnic background to do. In retrospect, the members of this pioneer kids group, their mother, and their now-deceased father all considered the "Maharajh Kids" experience as a positive one.

It's exciting to see how attitudes towards the steel pan have changed, to the point where the "Pan" is now a recognized musical instrument throughout the world.

Special thanks are be given to Mrs. O. Maharajh for providing all the photographs and newspaper clippings used on this site. She kept them and more through the years as mementos of 'her babies', but most of her collection has either been misplaced or destroyed over the years. Who knew that there would be such a vehicle as the Internet to share them with us.