IT’S not often that we get the opportunity to meet genuinely jovial people with great camaraderie nor do we regularly get to be away from the hurried atmosphere prevalent in the “concrete and asphalt jungle” of city and town life in the solitude of a very peaceful, quaint, and almost mystical village.
So, naturally when the opportunity arose for us to visit Hygdronie village on the East Bank of the Essequibo in Region 3 (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara) we seized it enthusiastically and were, in the nick of time, on our way to this sedate and very appealing village.
Hydronie Village is located at an estimated terrain elevation of one metre above sea level, with latitude readings of 6°51’18.4″, and longitude recordings of 58°24’42.55″. The village is nestled between the larger locations of Parika and Bushy Park, and quite the opposite of the hustle and bustle of these villages.
The name of this village is indeed spelt in different ways, and while it is spelt Hydronie in the English language, it may be tabled as Hydroni and Hydronee in other languages.
Quite naturally, Hydronie (Guyanese spelling) is a large, commercialised agricultural landholding with associated buildings and other facilities. Sunrise usually begins at 06:14 hours, with sunset occurring mostly at 17:58 hours.
Journey to Hydronie
As the minibus danced its way amongst heavy morning traffic along the West Demerara Public Road, I exalted in the rush of fresh country breeze that assailed my face and chest, and smiled lazily as a green blur of lush rice fields, foliage, and idly grazing animals rushed by.
In every village we passed during our journey, there was the appealing and pleasant spectacle of residents rushing about on daily errands. In the roadside shops, there were gatherings of considerable numbers of persons, intent on accessing their daily kitchen supplies, while young men were either liming by the roadside or chatting joyously at roadside taxi bases that seemed to be a highpoint on the West Demerara.
While the bus ride was a refreshing treat and a nice get away from my always busy schedule, it was somewhat tempered by a few unpleasant incidents as our ‘speed crazy bus driver’ dashed in and out of traffic, honking his horns at pedestrians, eliciting obscenities and lewd finger gesticulations from drivers who probably felt challenged to respond to his brazen intrusion on their deliberations.
When the bus rolled into Hyrdonie about an hour later, I was seething with anger at the reckless maneuvers of this driver, and flushing hotly from the tons of vulgar responses he had received as a result of his irresponsible actions.
Exploring the village
I was a bit taken aback by the peace and tranquility of this small village, and I wondered where in Heaven’s name had all the residents gone. Investigations revealed that residents preferred to remain indoors, unless they were engaged in errands that warranted their presence outside of their homes or were taken up with their varying professions in Parika, Bushy Park, and other surrounding villages.
A chatty Lilouttie Seecharran who spoke to us from an open window on the bottom flat of her two-storeyed home explained that she was home alone with her 15-year-old daughter while her common-law husband, Sunil Singh was out plying his trade as a taxi driver at the nearby Parika Bus Park.
She noted however that while his profession can be tedious and very competitive at times, it brings in a sizeable daily income that is adequate to take care of their needs in the home.
“Every bady does do either wan jab or anotha in Hydronie because everybody have to survive somehow or the other. Me husband does go out there every day fuh mek ends meet, and some days he does comeback with almost nothing because is plenty taxi deh out deh. But we does be thankful and try fuh mek ends meet, regardless ah de situation.”
Ms. Seecharran has been residing in the village for over twenty-five years. She said the village was indeed a very beautiful and peaceful location where residents lived in harmony and great camaraderie with each other.
Hydronie is certainly lacking in terms of apparent business potential, as can be judged from its infrastructure, but villagers are certainly not missing out on anything in particular, since they can simply walk over to Parika, which serves as an ‘economic hub’ that can ultimately satisfy their entertainment, relaxation, social and of course economic needs at any time.
Save for the A. Nazeir & Sons Sports Bar, the village is lacking a major entertainment hideout, discounting at least two small rum shops along the roadside. There are indeed a few small groceries and at least one variety store in this village, but villagers are more prone to accessing their household supplies, fresh fruits and vegetables from the Parika Market and numerous businesses there.
Kumar’s Barber Shop takes care of the hair grooming and styling needs of residents.
Interacting with residents
We next chatted with a few taxi drivers, most of whom resided in Hydronie, and they shared some concerns which they said have been plaguing them for some time now.
Taxi driver Safraz Hussain said there is definitely need for a secondary school in Hydronie. His sentiments were echoed by colleagues who explained that, while the nearest secondary school was located in Zeeburg Village, students have to travel to areas like Anna Catherina, St. John, Lenora, Stewartville and Uitvlugt to obtain a secondary education.
The men also expressed the need for a hospital in the village, and Safraz Hussain insisted that it was important to residents.
“Hydronie certainly needs its own hospital. While we acknowledge the fact that there are a few health centres along the way, there is definitely a great need for a major hospital in this village, since not every health centre is always equipped to deal with serious and technical ailments that may require immediate emergency treatment. Having to rush till to the West Demerara Regional Hospital can sometimes be tedious and time consuming”.
Villagers are also calling for their own recreational facilities, since they can only seek entertainment in Parika and at the Bushy Park Beach Resort when necessary.
Some villagers are of the opinion that the Hydronie Market is in dire need of upgrading and should be converted into a durable concrete structure, keeping out the elements or forces of nature.
Times gone by
Curious about the history surrounding this quaint little village, we solicited information and were directed to a village elder, Mr. Pertab Singh, who, though a little feeble, told us he had resided there almost all his life.
“In meh days as a young bai, Hydronie was like a ghost town. De place was full a bushes and plenty tall trees, and there was hardly any houses here. If yuh pass one house here, yuh had to walk far to meet anotha wan. De place de very muddy and would flood in some places during de heavy rains. There were no street lights and flambeau lamps were de order of the day.”
“Fresh wata supply was a serious problem, and me mumma used to urge we fuh bile wata or catch de rain wata in buckets when it fall and save it fuh drink. But in time people start move in, and de place develop to wha yuh ah see hea today, sar”.
With an almost toothless grin, our narrator explained that, in due course , more settlers moved in and houses began to spring up all around, transforming Hydronie into the peaceful and pleasant location it is today.
Employment
Everyone seems to be employed in and around Hydronie, and there are really no signs of an unemployment crisis there. While a few persons are operating small shops, others are employed outside the village in offices and various entities in Parika where there seems to be a job for almost everyone.
A few young males are employed fetching loads in carts for travellers passing through that route, while others assist their parents in stalls in the Parika Market.
Farming still continues to be a main economic provider in the village, and a few persons are still manning their kitchen gardens, according to the custom in the village.
Lately, young men have been taking up the profession of making concrete blocks; and according to Jairo Samlall, who operates from within Hydronie, this trade is also profitable. “I start dis business about three years ago, partnah, and from then to now I really seeing me way in life. I started with two relatives, and then as we begin tuh get populah, people come from far to buy blocks because our prices are good and we give dem quality work.”
“Not long after we expanded, I took on more employees, and now we are really seeing good profits from dis jaab; and our customers are pleased too.”
Village Drama
Well, like they say, every village certainly has some amount of drama existing, and Hydronie seemed to be no exception. The village was abuzz with the news of a ‘wicked neighbour’ who was making life hell for the owners of the A. Nazier & Sons Sports Bar.
While a few housewives begged and pleaded not to be named in this article, they divulged that the neighbour was an extremely envious individual who was scheming and calculating and was out to cripple the success of the businessmen.
The ladies related that the men are unable to operate their business because the neighbour is on a vendetta to shut down their operations. He would summon the police the minute they begin to play music at decent and acceptable levels.
This neighbour, according to sources, would also write to the Hydronie NDC body, where they have contacts and would prevent the businessmen from hosting family-oriented entertainment ventures. As a result, the men are seeing no returns from the millions they have invested.
We checked the music set and realised that the neighbour’s claims were absolutely false or maybe malicious. Though the business was large, there were only two small, single speaker boxes there; and one was set up close to the bar, while the other was located far away from the neighbour, and only to provide soft music to the private dining location of the business.
One of the businessmen indicated that police from the Parika Police Station would, on many occasions, summon him to the station without even investigating, and would charge him for ‘noise nuisance’ even if he was not playing music.
The businessman and his son are of the view that the ‘wicked neighbour’, as they dubbed the individual, is ‘paying off’ the police, who readily would obey his/her evil bidding.
The younger businessman said that on one occasion the police were summoned and he was not even playing any music. He said a bus was parked on the road parapet blasting music, and the police came and ignored the bus but took him to the station and charged him instead.
We were taken to several neighbours who confirmed that the claims of this sports bar being rowdy or noisy were false, since the music at the sports bar is always played at a moderate level.
Reminiscing on a beastly act
This village is truly a comfortable little settlement, but at least one housewife reminisced on a sordid tale of negative characters targeting a mandir in the village.
She was, of course, referring to an act committed not so long ago when an arsonist set flames to the Shree Krishna Dharmic Mandir in Hydronie (Parika). The Indian Arrival Committee (IAC), in a statement, had dubbed the attack on a sacred house of worship as an act of sacrilege committed on their Hindu brothers and sisters, and had called for the perpetrators to be swiftly brought to justice.
The IAC had noted that such unprovoked and callous act is counter-productive to the enviable religious tolerance Guyana is known for, since they believe that the participation in celebration of each other’s cultural and religious observances has been the linchpin in our nationhood.
The IAC had said that such acts have the potential to pose challenges to the harmony and exemplary religious forbearance that exist across the length and breadth of Guyana.
Some residents, when questioned about this incident, were loud in their distaste and disapproval of the act.
Conclusion
Come join me as we journey through Guyana, exploring and bringing you the intrigues, challenges and constraints of our many villages. This week, we know for sure you have enjoyed the ‘mind’s journey’ to Hydronie. Join us next week to see which village will be targeted, and the tropical adventures it will bring to the forefront.
In the meantime, do enjoy the remainder of the week, and be posted and ready next Sunday as we continue our trek to bring you the striking secrets of Guyana.
Written By Alex Wayne
