In a speech to mark the event Rambachan, who is also a respected Hindu community leader, said the cultural honour is one that he values "immensely and for which I express my sincere gratitude and thanks".
He added, "I accept it on behalf of the many who have believed in me, who have stood by me in good and in bad times, who have had the courage to admonish and praise me in a spirit of genuine friendship, who have shared my vision and mission and who have been the recipients of both praise and criticism simply for being my loyal friends."
Rambachan said he wanted to "particularly share this night" with the members of his family and the Saraswati Kirtan Mandali, the religious group with which he has been associated. The group celebrated its 40th anniversary in April.
He said accepting the honour also confirmed that he shares the NCIC's vision and its mission, "which I have always interpreted to be an equal place, space and opportunity for the development, promotion and practice of East Indian Cultural traditions and religious expression."
He said there should never be any argument in Trinidad and Tobago about cultural space since all groups have contributed to build the country as one with a vibrant diversity characterized by mutual respect.
Rambachan said government's introduction of a formal policy on multiculturalism, cross cultural understanding that is now more evident in the national consciousness.
The development, he said, means that "the way is being paved for an environment which will make real the promise of our national anthem, “here every creed and race find an equal place.”
Commenting on the role of the NCIC the minister said the group's promotion of East Indian art forms freed the East Indian population from struggling for a cultural soul.
"In a western dominated society, where success and acceptance depends on joining the perceived dominant culture, it is easy to be acculturated. While this is happening, the awareness created by NCIC acts as a stumbling block to total acculturation," the minister said.
He also acknowledged the work of other Indian cultural groups such as the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, The Bharatiya Vidya Sansthaan, ASJA and the "hundreds of mandirs, Pundits, Imams, and individuals who have also laboured to ensure cultural persistence".
Rambachan lamented the loss of language but noted that it has not diminished interest in Indian culture, nor in attachment to Hinduism. He said on the contrary, the work of the NCIC has keep Indian culture alive through its events, including its annual Yagnas.
Rambachan noted both he and his brother, Professor Anant Rambachan, have officiated at more than a dozen of those Yagnas from which several books of discourses have been published.
"The intellectual contribution of the Yagnas to Hindu thought, and the interpretation of the Scriptures in a 21st Century context is unparalleled in any country where Hindus form a significant part of the population," he said.
Admitting the risk in leaving out some who are worthy of praise for their cultural work, Rambachan acknowledged the contribution of the various groups and persons to the preservation of Indian culture noting that their work helped motivate both adults and children to sustain their cultural practices.
The theme of this year’s NCIC celebration relates to global places of pilgrimage. Rambachan said this offers the community an opportunity to examine "our religious and social history" by looking at the various religious sites which have been developed over the years of the East Indian presence.
He said Divali Nagar has become an annual pilgrimage, "where one connects with one’s cultural and religious self, where one is reminded of one’s ancestry, where one asks and answers in varying degrees, who am I, from where have I come, what is my mission."
He said, "Divali Nagar is a pilgrimage where one is not only reintroduced to one’s ancestry but also where reconnects with ones ancestry.
"Divali Nagar is a pilgrimage where one arrives and within minutes sheds the acculturated cultural personality and re-clothes oneself in the culture and traditions of the ancestral villages.
"Divali Nagar brings an end to cultural estrangement which often occurs as a result of what a dominant culture suggests needs to be done to succeed.
"Divali Nagar is a pilgrimage where one comes to pay tribute and to be inspired by the icons of Vivekananda and Gandhi.
"Divali Nagar is an annual pilgrimage to the shrine of Lord Shiva, who sits majestically at the entrance to this village an annual pilgrimage for those who make the journey for spiritual knowledge through the discourses and spiritual music in the hall transformed into a temple.
"Divali Nagar is the place of pilgrimage for saada roti and aloo, pepper roti, doubles and phoolourue, jaleebi, khurma and pera," Rambachan said.
He paid tribute to the NCIC for bringing into the national focus places of pilgrimage in Trinidad and Tobago, noting that each place of pilgrimage that will be venerated "has a history, a story to tell, a story mainly of human aspiration, spiritual experience and achievement."
Rambachan also talked about the annual Ramleela, describing it as another form of pilgrimage "where each year open spaces become the theatre for communities to remind themselves of the values taught by Rama in Ramayana. People who attend leave with a new vigour and inspiration to live a values based life."
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