PURAN Boodwah and his family are among the first settlers of Tuschen North, East Bank Essequibo and he says it is a place where they have seen some development, even if it was slow.

“I born and grow in this village and it is home and from then to now I must say we have had some form of development,” he said.

The 35-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that the village is a close-knit one and although the people are mostly of Indo and Afro descent, they have that togetherness and it is one of those places where you can still go over to your neighbour for anything.

Boodwah added that the area has come a long way because it was underdeveloped and the roads were basically mud dams, but today they have electricity, potable water supply, and internet and landline phones.

He said the place began to develop after the Ministry of Housing regularised them and today the village is even more populated.

Boodwah stated that on the sea dam, they have had an influx of Spanish-speaking people, who are living in some makeshift cottages in the village and it is like a whole community at the back there.

He explained that Tuschen North was a squatting area before it gained regularisation status; and it was a place that looked like a jungle with thick, overgrown bushes and most of his school years, he had to wade through knee-deep mud and water to go to school.

Boodwah recalled he had to fetch water for drinking and all his school years he studied in blackout with just a kerosene lamp.

He related that back then, the village had small tracks and no roads, but they made do with the little they had and even cut trees to make wood to cook on the outdoor fireside.

Boodwah stated that at age 18, the village was regularised and they benefitted from electricity and potable water supply which enhanced their lives significantly.

He told the Pepperpot Magazine that Tuschen North is a relatively quiet place, except when some people play loud music, but it is not often that happens and their neighbours are very good people.

“The best part of living here is you have that peace of mind and it is a safe place, so you really don’t have to worry about certain things at all,” he said.

The father of one added that although they don’t have facilities in the community it is accessible in the nearby villages.

In Tuschen North, they have a few shops and churches and they are bordered by Zeelugt and Vergenoegen, which are larger villages.

Boodwah noted that the place is quite dark at night due to the absence of street lights and it would be in the best interest of the locals to have a few installed by the authorities responsible.

Meanwhile, Deonarine Boodwah, father of Puran, who has been a fisherman for more than 45 years, told the Pepperpot Magazine that he has suffered tremendous losses over the years.

He stated that recently thieves made off with all the seines from the fishing boat which was moored at the Vergenoegen koker, crippling his employment.

With a physical defect, he lost sight in an eye after a fish bone broke and pitch into that eye and a crowbar made contact with the same right eye. Things have been difficult, especially at sea.

It happened about 30 years ago and these days, Boodwah doesn’t go on fishing expeditions with his crew like before.

Boodwah reported that he has been in the fishing business even before he tied the knot, moved away from his family home, and started to squat on the land at Tuschen North, which was overrun by thick trees and bushes.

Having come from an extended family setting with parents and relatives, plus seven siblings, he wanted to exit that home and create his own path, his own home and land, and after his first child was born, a daughter, he began to squat at Tuschen North.

Boodwah wanted to acquire his own house and decided to leave home when his daughter was just one year old. Today, she is 38 years old and lives in the same village.

He reported that he was among the village’s first settlers and remembered clearing a lot of trees before he could get onto the land to build a small house.

The 61-year-old related that with that move he could get on his own feet and became responsible and had another child, a son, who resides with himself and wife, Lynette Toolsiedai Boodwah.

In 2005, Boodwah had just returned from the Atlantic Ocean following a fishing trip and while, mooring his small fishing boat, he was confronted by gunmen, who robbed him of his engine.

Boodwah explained that it was after he had paid in full for the boat engine he had bought from Courts and was paying instalments and thought he was debt-free.

At this point, he said he had to start all over again because he could not afford to buy an engine and had to quit the fishing business.

It was some years after he was able to acquire a fishing boat and engine and today he has three men in his employ, who would go on the fishing trips, but their last trip was in October this year.

Presently, Boodwah cannot buy seines due to the high cost of fishing equipment, which might be the end of his small business.