LIFE certainly isn’t perfect for Samraj (only name) and his wife, 44, Bibi Samraj, residents of Stewartville South, West Coast Demerara, who have a lovely little home that is so clean and tidy.

They together have a well-put-together home and yard which is brightly painted and colourful, quite pleasing to the eyes, but this couple, who have been married for many years, are enduring some hardships due to ill health.

Quietly though, they would go about their daily routine to earn and improve things in their own little ways.

The 67-year-old had to quit working due to an illness and is usually at home. That day when the team visited, he was watching television while his wife was sewing.

Samraj told the Pepperpot Magazine that he has been a villager for the past 25 years and when he first moved into the village, it had just a few zinc houses and it was a mud dam and under-developed.

He recalled that the village was established for sugar workers in the 1980s and it was a canfield converted into a housing scheme for the people, including himself, who were squatting near the Leonora Sugar Estate.

Samraj reported that the sugar workers were about 50 and living on the Side Line Dam.

The Stewartville South resident stated that he worked with the sugar estate for eight years before he retired and was a taxi driver until he was forced to stop working due to an illness.

Samraj added that some days are better than others since he was diagnosed with colon cancer.

Meanwhile, his wife, Bibi Samraj told the Pepperpot Magazine that she doesn’t work anywhere but is self-employed doing some sewing and she also makes chicken foot, mettai, ice and icicle to sell right from her home.

The seamstress was at the time, re-fitting a blouse for a customer while her granddaughter was observing the process.

The 44 -year-old stated that life is quiet and trouble-free in their section of the village, which is just one street and the people are super nice to each other.

Samraj noted that she began exploring the possibilities of becoming independent and started sewing from her home three years ago.

The local reported that she used to be employed as a domestic worker but after her husband fell ill, she had to seek an alternative avenue to earn and decided to do it from home.

Samraj, a mother of two, added that her son lives in the same yard in his own house at the rear, while another son resides overseas.

The seamstress has a pet parrot called Catherine, compliments of her son, who resides in neighbouring Venezuela.

Samraj told the Pepperpot Magazine that she had already prepared meals for that day, a task she prefers to do early in the morning so it gives her more time to do other things like sewing.

“Things are quiet here and as you can see, we respect each other and it is the same with the neighbours even though at times they do get a bit louder than usual with their own domestic issues,” she said.

Rajendra Kymeram and his family
Also in the same street is the home of Rajendra Kymeram is a cane harvester and he has been living in the village for the past 36 years.

The 47-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that the estate had halted their operations so he was at home enjoying some time off from work.

He was in the company of his wife, Kowsilla Keshwar, a housewife who takes pride in keeping the home and everything in order.

This couple has a pet parrot, Kemo, who has been with the family for a long time and he is more than 20 years old and wise in his own way.

The father of three recalled when he met his wife for the first time. He was visiting with friends at a mandir in Canjie, Berbice and knew he had to make her his wife.

Together they have three children, a nice home and a fair, simple, and honest life.

Their eldest is 19 years old and is employed while two others are still in school.

“It is quiet here and, in this street, we do things together so if I weed my yard today, almost everybody will do the same, especially at holidays, and we support each other and try to keep the place clean,” he said.