GUPTIE Jotis is very talented, having inherited in-bred skills through generations, who came from India. He has mastered the art of pottery, making ceramic diyas, goblets, plant pots, kalsas and vases as a small business, right from his home.

The hand-made pieces are done the old-fashioned way, with manual labour and it takes patience and time to craft the perfect piece of pottery.

Since age 13, he started making pottery on his own and, over the years, has turned it into a side business to bring in an income to the home.

Jotis is the father of three school-aged children, and he is a resident of Belle Plaine Village, Wakenaam Island.

He would buy the mud from rice mills on the island and begin his work of pottery, which is a slow process that requires exact skills.

The 52-year-old is also a farmer/fisherman and whatever else he can do for work, for an honest dollar.

The process starts when the mud is kneaded for a few minutes and then placed on the manual turn-table, which requires some manpower to turn to its right velocity then, the clay is formed by hands and moulded into whatever he needs to make right before your eyes.

It is an awesome experience, and the pottery takes three full days to sun-dry before it is baked in a clay oven, after which the final product is complete for sale.

Jotis told the Pepperpot Magazine that the small business is a joint effort between himself and a brother, Joshi Jotis, who resides in Berbice.

He reported that he is from a family of potters, and he is keeping the tradition alive today, because he feels at peace when he is making ceramic pieces.

Jotis is a humble, quiet kind of a man, who isn’t of many words but when he speaks, it is with much wisdom and from the look of things, he is doing all he can to have a good life on the island.

Meanwhile, his wife, Indrawattie Jotis isn’t sitting at home idly. She makes ice, milk icicles and custard to sell in addition to the cooking and household duties.

She is a willing spouse who also lends support to her husband.

This couple has their pottery displayed in their yard and in front of their house to attract buyers as well as a marketing tool.

Nadir Mustakeen, the coconut buyer of Wakenaam
Nadir Mustakeen is a resident of Wakenaam Island, who grew up in the city and today, he has a blooming coconut small business in which he buys dry coconuts from locals for re-sale to exporters.

He started the business 15 years ago after a market opened on the island, and with the previous experience he garnered, he took advantage of the opportunity then.

Mustakeen would sell the peeled, dried coconuts to wholesale exporters in the city, who in turn would ship it out of the country.

At the time, he had 15,000 coconuts already peeled and bagged in the denominations of 50, which would be taken to Georgetown for export after it is sold.

His small business employs six persons, all from the island, but the locals would be tasked with peeling the dried coconuts before he buys them for bagging.

Mustakeen told the Pepperpot Magazine that coconuts have great potential on the island and the market has somewhat revived after it had a ‘slow death’ many years ago.

As a former Ministry of Agriculture employee, he stated that he would like to see extension officers on the island periodically to lend support to the coconut farmers, who have many challenges in getting a good harvest.

Mustakeen added that coconut farmers are plagued by diseases and good housekeeping is a must, since guidance is required for good cultivation on disease management.