PARAZADEE Mahabeer, called “Paro,” was just 20 years old when she ventured into New Amsterdam to ply her trade as a fishmonger, which complemented her husband’s role as a fisherman.
A fishmonger (historically fishwife for female practitioners) is someone who sells raw fish and seafood. Fishmongers can be wholesalers or retailers, and are trained at selecting and purchasing, handling, gutting, deboning, filleting, displaying, merchandising and selling their products.
During a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Mahabeer explained that it was her husband Shakir Khubir, who initially caught the shrimp and fish. She in turn would take it to New Amsterdam to sell. The monies received maintained her family, which included three children.
“My husband would leave home just after dinner and would venture out in the Berbice River where he would set his seine and wait for the shrimp or fish to be entangled in the net. The catch would then be placed into the boat. Then just before daybreak, he would sail under the Canje Bridge where I would collect the fish and shrimp, before travelling to New Amsterdam, to sell wholesale and retail, “she recounted.
“Initially, I sold along the public pavement, placing cardboard on which I displayed the catch, as there were no place [sic] provided for fish sale within the market. At that period, it was five cents a parcel [a hundred cents is equivalent to one dollar], and over the years the cost per parcel has increased to $500. Over the years, the market infrastructure has also improved. There is a fish market where products are sold in a clean, hygienic environment,” she said.
Unfortunately, life did no go as well as she had planned. Her relationship with her husband ended in a separation and, as a result, she was forced to purchase fish and other seafood products from wholesalers. Over the years, her three children ventured into the business, but they opted out after their respective marriages.
Mahabeer’s life before her marriage was not without its fair share of challenges. She had lost her mother and subsequently, her father before her teenage years. At the time, she was a student at the All Saint’s Anglican School in New Amsterdam, Berbice. The family had lived at “Chiney Lane,” now known as St. Ann’s Street.
Reminiscing on her school years brought a twinkle to her eyes and a smile on her face. Although those years were over 60 years ago, she could recall the names of her teachers and the levels of her education, which included moving from “little infant, big infant to standard six,” when an examination was taken.
Unfortunately, she did not get to write the examination as her parents had died by then and she had to relocate to Sheet Anchor, East Canje, to live with her maternal uncle and help care for his six children. Her now deceased uncle, Shama Khan, was a movie operator and had worked at the then famous Gaiety and Globe cinemas in the New Amsterdam township.
Despite the hardships of life, she is a survivor. She is also the proud grandmother of six. Despite her mild health issues, ‘Paro’ loves her job, and would not trade it for anything else in the world.
