AS a child growing up on the East Bank Berbice, she’d walked the dusty streets of her native Edinburgh Village many a day, selling vegetables and fruits from a bowl skillfully balanced atop her tiny head.

Her parents Lilowtie and Khemraj’s rocky marriage and subsequent divorce had dealt a severe blow to the lives of young Devi Seitaram and her three brothers.

But as she grew older, the intrepid Devi would venture into the New Amsterdam Market and try her hand at selling shopping bags made of reusable ‘salt bags’, as we here in Guyana would call the polythene sacks in which rice and sugar are usually packaged.

During a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Moonmattie Devi Seitaram, fondly referred to as ‘Devi Seitaram’, painstakingly recounted the many challenges she encountered over time to get where she is today.

“It was no easy feat,” she said. “My accomplishment was by sheer determination; I was 11 years old when my parents got divorced during my First Form years at New Amsterdam Multilateral School.

It was a difficult process; it had a harsh effect on us as children. It was four of us; I was the only girl, and I was already taking care of my little brother, Joel, who was just four year old. My mother had left; I had a lot of responsibility, as a child in the home. I was going to the market to sell on Saturdays; I would also go during the week. Sometimes I didn’t go to school at all; sometimes I’d sell after school.

When I was 13 and 14, I was working at Haribol and Hazrat (two popular General Stores in New Amsterdam), and I’d skip school; my classmates would laugh at me. When kids were enjoying summer breaks, I was working.

“I failed Second Form; I failed to matriculate to Form Three. I had to repeat the school year; I was not attending school as I should, and I was not mentally there, due to the effect of my parents’ breakup. My childhood was difficult; we were poor, but I never thought of us as being poor… I cooked on a fireside, and we did not have a fridge. It was not until I went to ‘Multi’ that I realised that I was poor. My shoe had a huge hole, and I repeatedly used my uniform from the year before.

“But, I was a very bright student; Sir Dhanraj saw that, and Ms. Benn. I must say thank you to her, as it was she who pushed me with the English; I got a distinction in English A and B. Sir Dhanraj encouraged me to attend his lessons, at no cost, and I excelled beyond anyone’s expectation, as I had achieved ten subjects at the Caribbean Examination Council Secondary Examinations (CSEC) in 2007.”

NEW BEGINNINGS
With enough subjects in hand to land herself a decent job, pretty soon, Devi began working as a reporter cum anchor and producer at the Little Rock Television Station (LRTVS) in Berbice, before moving to Georgetown, where she worked as a reporter at the Guyana Times/Television Guyana. It was during her stint at the latter media outlet that she opted to attend the University of the West Indies (UWI)’ Mona Campus in Jamaica from August 2011-2012, at the end of which she obtained a Diploma in Media and Communication. Three years later, after continued studies at the same institution, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

Following her graduation, Devi began working as a journalist at Jamaica’s Nationwide News Network, before moving on to serve as Administrative Assistant to Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism Minster, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, from 2016-2018. It was during this period that she also enrolled at the Faculty of Law, again at Mona, to read for a Bachelor of Laws Degree, which she obtained in 2019.

Thereafter, she enrolled at the Norman Manley Law School, in Kingston, and after a two- year period, was successfully awarded the coveted Legal Education Certificate (LCE) from the Council of Legal Education of the Commonwealth Caribbean on September 17, 2021.

ADVOCACY
Unfortunately, she would lose her father in 2013, while in her first year at UWI. “I was pursuing my Journalism programme, and was the beneficiary of a scholarship; the prestigious AFUWI Pilgrim’s Bursary,” Devi said, adding: “The Pilgrim Bursary of US$3000 yearly is for Guyanese students, and is sponsored by overseas-based Guyanese… After getting the two-year scholarship, I advocated at UWI to reduce the tuition cost from US$10,000 per year to J$520,000.

Because of my advocacy, Guyanese students can go to UWI, in Jamaica, and benefit from less than half of the original cost for tuition for any programme…

“My third and final year scholarship was garnered from the Nationwide News Network Scholar of the Year Award and Bursary, after which I achieved my dream, with a Diploma in Media and Communication, and my journalism degree, and extensive experience, as I had worked with international media in Guyana and Jamaica.”

IN RETROSPECT
Looking back at how far she’s come, Devi said: “I am extremely proud of myself, because this achievement means a lot to me. I was raised in a village where it was thought that women only had one purpose: To be a housewife; an educated woman was not considered virtuous.
“The journey to get here has been everything but easy; it was extremely difficult, financially, and to work and balance two jobs in order to pay for school was no easy feat.

“I’ve always wanted to be lawyer; my love for Law began when I was covering the courts in New Amsterdam as a journalist. The processes, Latin maxims and operation of the court made me curious, and want to know more.

“Becoming an attorney is also an important achievement for not only myself, but my family. I’m the first girl in my family to become a lawyer; something my late father would be extremely proud of. I am from very humble beginnings, and despite spending my early years selling in the markets in Berbice, my parents always prioritised my schooling.”

GOING FORWARD
As to how she sees the future unfolding for her, Devi said: “I will focus on civil litigation, defamation, and a bit of criminal law, but, otherwise, my focus will be on probate administration, wills, contracts, and conveyancing. “I also want to do some mentoring, and possibly align myself to contribute, pro bono, to the Legal Aid Clinic, with a focus on family law matters, and issues affecting women. Plans are also on stream to open a Law office in Berbice.”

Now 32, Moonmattie Devi Seitram, who currently resides in Jamaica, was accepted to the Guyana Bar before Justice Simone Ramlall, at the Demerara High Court on Friday. Her petition was presented by Attorney-at-Law, Ms. Tuanna Hardy.