FOR the past 63 years, Durjodhan Sarajit’s home is in Goed Bananen Land Village, East Canje, Berbice, a place where he feels comfortable, a house he inherited and made into an attractive building.

He recalled when his parents came to the village to settle, they were among the first settlers. There were only three other houses, and the place was overgrown with trees and bushes.

The father of three told the Pepperpot Magazine that as time progressed, more people began occupying the land; thus, the village became populated.

Sarajit stated that from what he was told, the village is Dutch-named. It was a place with a lot of bananas. Years ago, some people came from Holland with a map of the community.

He related that it is an estate village and across the road was called Saddam, a squatting area which was later developed.

After 43 years, he retired from the nearby Rose Hall, East Canje, Berbice Sugar Estate, as a labourer.

“It is time for me to stop working because I started working at age 15 years old, and all my children are grown and educated,” he said.

When his father passed away, he was only 10 years old and had three brothers and a sister; being the eldest, he had to step up to assist his mother.

He started working at all kinds of jobs to assist his widowed mother to take care of his siblings and the home.

However, in 2017 when the estate closed, he received a one-off payment and has been at home since.

Sarajit is accustomed to working and sought employment with the Canefield/Enterprise NDC as a Community Infrastructure Improvement Programme (CIIP) worker.

He would work 16 days per month to maintain drains and parapets within the village.

“I want to stay active to keep the body working because being at home will not be healthy for me doing nothing,” he said.

These days, Sarajit would take his pet parrot, Robin, on his bicycle for a ride in the community only after 17:00hrs after the estate whistle is sounded at 16:00hrs.

Robin is a talkative pet who gives directives around the home and keeps everybody in check with his banter.

Sarajit and his wife Mohini keep a very clean and organised home that has lots of plants and flowers.

“This house has a lot of memories because it was my grandparents place, then [it was] handed down to my parents and then to me. It was a colonial-style house which looked like a bungalow wooden cottage; it was old and over the years I constructed it to this standard.
My children told me, ‘daddy this house too old’ let’s rebuild it and that is what took place over the years,” he said.

Sunita Ramcharitar, the homemaker
Meanwhile, down the same street is the home of Sunita Ramcharitar and her family. They reside at the last house in the street.

The housewife told the Pepperpot Magazine that life is quiet and just right in that village, and the people do what they must to earn.

The 53-year-old added that for the past 32 years, she has been living in Goed Bananen Land Village and it was after marriage she settled there.

The mother of six reported that her husband is a sugar worker and three of her children are married and reside elsewhere while three are unmarried and living with her.

Her street is called Golla Dam and it has a mud dam leading to the backlands where there is a farm and a pasture where residents take their cows.

That day, when the team visited, it was a Hindu religious day, Maha Shivratri and that family was preparing dhal and rice with calaloo.

It is customary not to eat meat that day, and the day would usually start with prayers.

This family is rearing some meat birds for home use only.

Ramcharitar has a lovely home which is well-decorated with colourful curtains and the place is clean.

“We had a nine-day for my grandson recently, so we had the place decorated for that event and it is still up,” she said.

She disclosed that her daughter was spending some time at the home after she delivered a baby boy before returning to her matrimonial home.