Hansley Hanoomansingh died on 5 July 2025, aged 82. For more than sixty years, his voice shaped Trinidad and Tobago’s national discourse—anchoring nightly news, championing Indo‑Trinidadian cultural expression, and building institutions that brought dignity to communities once excluded from public view.

Born in La Lomas in 1943 and raised in Cunupia by his mother Dorcas, he was the eldest of five. His father Joseph died when he was eleven. To support the family, Hans sold produce at the Chaguanas market before walking daily to Presentation College.

Their home had no books or radio. His first encounter with broadcast news came from the BBC, especially the voice of Trevor McDonald, the Trinidad-born British journalist whose cadence Hans began to imitate. A teacher recognised his diction and entered him in speech competitions.

Hanoomansingh began his broadcasting career in the 1960s at Radio Guardian, before moving to Radio Trinidad, the National Broadcasting Service, and Trinidad and Tobago Television.

He served as producer, news editor, anchor of Panorama, and host of From the Silver Screen, where he brought measured commentary to both Hindi and Western cinema.

In 1966, at 24, Hanoomansingh became the youngest member of the Second Parliament after being invited to run for the Democratic Labour Party by Dr Rudranath Capildeo.

He served one term as MP for Caroni East before returning to broadcasting and cultural work—believing that the shaping of institutions would outlast political office.

As President of the National Council of Indian Culture, Hanoomansingh advised on the creation and expansion of Divali Nagar, now the region’s most significant Hindu cultural exposition.

He later founded Heritage Radio 101.7 FM to preserve and promote bhajans, Ramleela, devotional discourse, and Indo-Trinidadian oral traditions.

For his contributions to culture and media, Hanoomansingh was awarded the Hummingbird Medal (Gold) in 1990. In 2010, the University of the West Indies conferred on him an honorary Doctor of Laws.

At the ceremony, he said simply: “The suppression of a people’s culture, whatever the reason, cannot build a nation.”

His younger brother, broadcaster Gideon Hanoomansingh, described him as “a true patriot of T&T whose contribution to nation-building was selfless and exemplary… a life of principle, purpose, and quiet strength.”

The brothers shared the airwaves for decades, navigating the changing media landscape while holding fast to values of accuracy, clarity, and service.
In 2022, Hansley Hanoomansingh lost his son, Dr Peter Hanoomansingh, a philosopher and media professional. At the funeral, Hans delivered the eulogy himself:

“He was my boy. I was not prepared for this.”
He asked for no tribute, only that the work be done well. And it was.

Through six decades, he left behind something few can claim: a voice that gave others voice. Even in absence, it remains.