Bath Settlement – A fusion of smiling faces and great agricultural potential

THIS week I had the pleasure of meeting some of the most intriguing and pleasant people I have ever met in my life, and the experience of interacting with them really left me light-headed, but in a pleasant manner.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that there were still such endearing people left in Guyana, and they sure did leave a lasting impression on me. As a matter of fact, as I sat back lazily in the minibus heading back to the city, their beaming faces, cherry chatter and mirthful laughter swam on the horizon on my senses. Talk about beautiful places and faces.

These people were just contented and charming, and they never failed to greet a stranger with a smile or welcoming “How do you do?”

Folks, I was privileged to have visited Bath Settlement on the West Coast of Berbice, located just over 70 miles east of the city of Georgetown.

The Arrival
We arrived in the village at about 10:00 hours, and were enthralled by its serene beauty and wonderful tranquility that afforded that somewhat charming yesteryear luster that was laced with appealing signs of modern transformation.

Young men were chatting amicably in the streets, while, in some areas, others were rushing off to the nearby Blairmont Sugar Estate to tend to their various jobs. Mothers were rushing in and out of variety stores, stocking up on their household supplies; while, under the houses, husbands and grandparents relaxed in hammocks after spending a tedious early morning in their many kitchen gardens or large farms.

Humble Beginnings
We stopped at the home of the Ramcharrans first, and there we were welcomed and offered glasses of ice cold fruit juice, which we accepted with relish. This extended family reside in an impressive four-bedroom house, and were ready to relate that poverty in years gone by had propelled them to work tirelessly on their large cash crop farm, which eventually afforded them a comfortable home and pleasant means of living.

The family had begun by planting eschallot on a large scale. They would harvest the eschallot and sell in the village, and on a wholesale basis in Georgetown.
Narrating the tale of their hard earned fortune was the grandfather, Baldeo Ramcharran.

“Eschallot made me what I am today. Many years ago we used to plant the eschallot, and it was really hard work. The entire family would leave from our one-bedroom flat house early in the morning with just light snacks of roti and pumpkin, which we used to wash down with swank (drink made with lime juice).”

Ole day we ah wuk like donkey in de hot sun, and when we get hungry dem young bai would climb the wata coconut tree. We would full we belly and then guh back in the sun and wuk till aftanoon. We gon then wata dem eschallot and lef de backdam sometime when night almost fall. Then we guh come home and cook dinnah, and if yuh see how dem pickney tired, dem can hardly eat dem food. When dem hit dah bed, is sleep and snoring till five a clack next marning. Then is time fuh guh again!

“Then selling de eschallot was anotha story. Because sometimes competition and suh much eschallot deh bout dat de price always ah drap. But we endure we struggles and save we money and build ah nice house fuh de family, as yuh see today”.

This family still continues to farm in the backlands, but many of the children are now adults and have taken up jobs at the Blairmont Sugar Estate and in a few businesses in the village. So they now farm on a smaller scale, and save most of the money obtained from this process in a commercial bank in the city.

We met with similar tales from other villagers, since almost everyone had started from humble beginnings and have worked their way up the ladder of success. This was evidenced in the many posh houses and businesses that now proudly display the makings of Bath Settlement.

Past and Present Day Bath Settlement
As expected, we were curious about the features of the village in years gone by, and ready and eager to tell us was 82-year-old ‘Aunty Euna’

“When me was wan lil gyal, this was nevah de Bath Settlement wha yuh ah see here today. This place was sheer bush! De Bath Estate in de 1930s was surrounded by plenty bush and it wasn’t a bright place either! Dem time dat we had to fetch wata from stand pipes far from we home, and dem nah been get current all ovah. One rich man in de village used to provide current through wire from he house to people who can afford it, suh many people used to use dem lantern and flambeau fuh move about and cook at night.

“Dem time dah was coal pat and fyah side fuh cooking, and we used to bake bread in open oven outside in de yard. De roads was not good as today, and we nah bin get prapah drains and canals like today. Things bin really hard in dem times, but Bath Settlement always get hard wukking people who know ‘bout suffering and saving, suh today almost everybady ah live aff ah dem blood, sweat and tears.

“But me gah fuh thank de PPP Govament fuh mekking thinks easiah fuh we, because today we ah enjoy good good wata, current, street lights and prapa drainage. Dem need fuh send betta contractas fuh mek dem road prappally though, because dem people ah mek road hea and in no time de road ah bruk up”.

Aunty Euna related that life is beautiful in the village today. She credited the efforts of Government as responsible for residents of the village enjoying pleasant and comfortable lives.

This village had its origin not along the Highway where it currently is, but in the lands aback of the village, four miles inland, around the now defunct Bath Estate, which had been in operation since the mid-1800s.
In those days, many resided in cottages and some in logies (thatched roof houses with mud walls). In the 1930s, the Bath Sugar Estate was owned by the Davson’s Company. It was a very big village back then, and the name of the school in those days was the St. Nicholas Anglican Primary School. Today the village is still large, and measures two miles in length.

Some say the village began to grow at its current location in the late 1950s, when management began giving the workers lands out on the roadside. Many of the people in this village continued to work with the sugar industry after the exodus to the roadside, and after the Bath Estate closed down operations in the early 1970s.

The Friday afternoon market at Bath Settlement, near to the pay office, is a weekly event. It is the place where sugar workers, just having drawn their wages, can get bargains on clothing, jewellery, fresh fruits and vegetables, and other foodstuff.

‘In crop’, that is when the cane is being harvested and milled, the market is a very busy and lively place; but ‘out of crop’ time, when there is little or no activity in the industry, the village is not that bright. The long in-crop season, in most cases, runs from February to August; while the shorter ‘out of crop’ period extends from December to January.

During the out-of-crop periods, the estate offers time work employment to its workers. This work comprises routine maintenance on the estate, such as weeding fields, cleaning drains and rat catching. This work is, most times, limited to two or three days a week; and that is when most workers resort to other activities, such as fishing, carpentry, planting rice, and engaging in eschallot and other cash crop cultivation. Some undertake retail businesses to upkeep their families.

Many have found these other activities so rewarding that they have become full time farmers and businessmen, many of them successfully so, judging from the many beautiful homes and other trappings of wealth which are obvious in various parts of the village.

There are also many public servants, such as teachers and nurses, who serve the community and other parts of West Berbice.

This well-populated community of Bath Settlement has seen considerable development over the years, with the establishment of several large-scale businesses and a new housing scheme in one section. The village benefits from the operation of the Bath GuySuCo Health Centre, which is affiliated to the Blairmonth Sugar Estate.

The sugar estate still serves as the main form of livelihood for many people, but there are others who work as teachers, photographers, accountants, clerks, sales persons, mechanics and a doctor, among other professions.

Bath Settlement is very popular for its large-scale eschallot farming; and because of its rich soil, almost every resident plants a farm or kitchen garden.

Two large business places are Double R Hardware Store and Katcha, both of which supply building and construction materials to customers throughout West Coast and West Bank Berbice.

Other businesses include Ram’s Jewellery, Spare Parts and Pawn Shop; Len’s Optical; Bunny & Sons Furniture Store; Kushi’s Beauty Salon; Love’s Variety Store, and many others.

There is no nightclub in the village, but friends would congregate on the roadsides for a lime that lasts up to about 20:00 hours, or they would take a “few tupps” (glasses of rum) before going to bed. Others less socially inclined stay at home and watch TV or movies.

The majority of the people at Bath Settlement are peaceful and God fearing. Some people may drink and get intoxicated, but most of the time they go their way peacefully, without interfering with others.

People go in substantial numbers to the masjid and the mandirs and the churches (established ones and bottom house innovations); but that aside, the village is very quiet and peaceful, with hardly any criminal elements or activities.

A few challenges
Chatting with a few self-employed males, many related that they have splendid ideas for village development and are pleading with Government to provide affordable land spaces to increase their farming, poultry rearing, and other agriculture-oriented activities.

A few farmers lamented that they were visited by Government officials three months ago and promises were made to ‘improve things in the village.’ They are appealing to those who visited to return to have talks with them and to speed up further development in the village.

Youths said that qualified persons are facing an employment crisis in the village, since they were unable to get jobs that suit their qualifications. Speaking on this issue was young Amrita Sookhoo, who is qualified by has to settle for a sales attendant job in a small clothing and accessories store.

“This village is indeed a beautiful and endearing place for one to live. But one of the problems we are facing is the lack of employment opportunities for qualified youths, who have left school with great grades. There aren’t many institutions or businesses here that require the services of such persons, so they are forced to settle for just about anything; or some of them are just sitting here on their qualifications,” she said

Contributing to society
Some persons in Bath Settlement are indeed creating wonders for their colleagues; and amongst them is the very talented Dhaniram Ramchand, who manages the Green to Life Chemical and Plant Shop.

Ramchand manages an extensive nursery in which he cultivates various types of seedlings for sale to farmers. Farmers were loud in their praise for his efforts, since they claim they have ready access to seedlings and chemicals which are much needed to cultivate their crops.

Ramchand started his business some eight years ago, and is also attached to the Guyana Agricultural Producers Association (GAPA) as Regional Representative. He has certainly taken agriculture to the next level in the village, and he is highly respected for his exploits.

He is also promoting the green house and shade house initiatives, which are positives for agriculture and the impending issue of climate change. Mr. Ramchand is also spearheading sporting activities, and has raised the bar on cricket activities in the area.

Ethnic Harmony
All rumours of ethnic differences existing in Bath Settlement should be treated as nonsense, and be crushed underfoot. Actually, residents share an almost divine ‘racial harmony’ that is so rich in its intensity that it awakened my very being and sent joyful tremors up my spine.

The Bath Settlement Primary School was just closing shop for the day, and the noisy chatter of students could be heard from a great distance away as they conversed on the ‘happenings of the day’ or on possible methods of effectively completing assignments.

They spilled into the streets in a pleasurable ethnic fusion of both Indo and Afro-Guyanese buddies and school chums, laughing their heads off at the comical jokes of each other, and in process creating a beautiful vision of the future Guyanese nation. The same could be said of the men chatting in the streets; and with housewives catching up on the latest news in the shops before hurrying off to their homes to get the lunch table ready.

Sad recollections
This village is void of criminal activities, but some villagers do recollect the discovery of the remains of a man found in the village in December 2013.

The remains were discovered scattered in a clump of bush about 300 feet south of Waterloo, Bath Settlement, by villagers who immediately summoned the police from the nearby Fort Wellington Police Station.

Police ranks reportedly visited the scene and saw a human skull, two thigh bones, two leg bones, one rib bone and one jaw bone, suspected to be that of Sookram Ragabir, called “Baayun”, 51, of Bath Settlement.

Conclusion
If you are looking for a little solitude and a positive change from the bustle of life, then Bath Settlement is surely the place for you. Waste no time, but head on there; and when you do, get lost in the flashing smiles and cheery laughter of the people.

Come and be smothered by their infectious love, or be engulfed in the rich waves of ethnic harmony exuded by villagers. Get caught up in the bashful stares of starry eyed young damsels, or in the feisty dialogue of smiling males.

Whatever you do, make it a must to visit this pleasant village, where the radiant beams of glorious camaraderie never seem to fade.

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