IT was raining all day and due to the all-day rainfall, Ramnaresh Lall, a painter, was unable to go to work, so he decided to make the most of the day by throwing his castnet to catch fish in the canal in his village.

The 54-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that even if it rains, life has to go on and one has to use that time to do something and he was doing just that despite the downpour.

As a painter, he cannot work at these times, so when he is not tending to his kitchen garden or doing yard chores, he would catch fish for the home.

The father of four is one of those men who don’t sit idly and always does something constructive with his time.

Catching fish with a castnet is his favourite pastime and he had just started when the team caught up with him; he had just pulled in a few patwas that he says go well with dhal and rice,once fried crisply.

Lall has lived all his life in Coghlan Dam,he considers the place his home and doesn’t see himself living elsewhere.

He had a small poultry business but lost it all due to flooding in his backyard and same can be said for his garden, which was also inundated.

It happened two months ago and he could not recover from the loss before he invested in some ducks and fowls.

“In life when one thing flop you have to get back up and try something else to stay afloat and make ends meet financially,” he said.

The pensioner
Meanwhile, also in Coghlan Dam is the home of 68-year-old Lynette Sanichara, whose son lives in the back house of a big plot and has a nice, well-kept house and yard with plants and flowers.

The local told the Pepperpot Magazine that she is accustomed to waking up early, getting her chores done and preparing meals for that day; a routine that she takes seriously.

She was a vendor at Stabroek Market for many years before she retired and is no stranger to hard work and long hours, selling greens and working for other people.

The mother of one stated that she has been working since 1980 and it is time for her to take things one day at a time, since she is no longer blessed with youth.

Sanichara added that her husband passed away in 1991 and she single-handedly put her son through school and he turned out well; he is a welder and has a family of his own.

“I toiled day in, night out for everything I have and it was not easy. Hard work pays off and today I can relax and enjoy my old age,” she said.

She moved to the village after marriage and it is a quiet place where the people co-exist in harmony and without any fuss.

Sanichara pointed out that she lost her small poultry business and kitchen garden to the flood and only a few flowers survived.

The shopkeeper
Joy Harding is one of three shop owners in Coghlan Dam and she resides in an extended family setting.

She described life as good and is the mother of five. All her children are grown and are earning an honest dollar including, her son, who has a horse-drawn cart small business.

Harding is a local of the village and she knows how to live among the people to enjoy a drama-free life.

“Around here you have to know how to live and everything will be fine and I am good this way, the people support my shop and we are all one,” she said.

However, she is happy about the road upgrade that took place a month ago and their lives have been enhanced with the all-weather road, which was once a mud dam.

Harding added that things are well at her end and she is pleased with the simple country life she has with her family.

She stated that most of the locals are people who originated from the village and lived all their lives there, and there are just a handful of people who moved there through marriages, but the people know each other and are a close-knit community.