By Faith Greene
This week, the Pepperpot Magazine visited the small, yet quiet village of Ruby, East Bank Essequibo. It takes less than a minute to drive through the entire village on the Railway Embankment and is found between Good Hope and Farm villages.

It is surrounded by houses and some businesses on either side of the Railway Embankment, with a turn-off that leads towards Ruby Back. Ruby Back/ Ruby Back Dam is a section of Ruby that is home to several farmers who plant crops such as rice and those who take care of livestock such as pigs and chickens, cows and sheep.

That section of Ruby is densely populated, with many families depending on farming as a source of income.
One of Ruby’s residents, Ganesh Dat, said that when people hear about the village, they often think about Ruby Back, where the farming of crops and livestock take place. Although a significant number of residents are dependent on their crops and livestock as a way to earn a living, many have found their fortune doing other jobs.

He noted that there are hundreds of people in that area who practice farming daily. Some of these farmers take their products from that area in Region Three all the way to Bourda Market in Georgetown to make a profit from what they would have reaped.

Dat has lived in Ruby for many years. He said he is from the Cinderella County, Essequibo, but he moved to Ruby for better, after his children wrote their exams.
Additionally, he noperates a bus with which he says makes about three rounds on the road every day from Vreed-En-Hoop to Parika.

Business is booming in Ruby
Although Ruby may be small, that section of East Bank Essequibo has many businesses in that area. This includes a welding shop, a service station and other small businesses. Farming and convenient shops also line the corners, selling basic items to their potential customers.
One of the prominent businessmen in that community, Khemraj Hussain owns Welding Shop called K Hussain and Son, Arc Welding. Hussain related that business has been good to him, adding that he depends on the customers driving through the village daily as well as those residing in Ruby and neighboring communities to get business.

Hussain further pointed out that he does gas welding, bronze welding, window grills, barbeque grills (which are on sale), among other items. Hussain shared that he makes the barbeque grills for sale and has them all lined off in front of his shop where potential customers can see them clearly from the roadway.

A service station, placed at a strategic point
When the Pepperpot team made it to the village, one thing that stuck out the most was the big yellow service station and minimart, Sanjay’s Service Station, near the head of Ruby.
Sanjay Singh, who manages the establishment, stated that while he runs the business’s daily operations, it is owned by one of his aunts.

Sanjay said he has been running the service station for six years. Although he does not live in Ruby, he said the people there are friendly. Singh added that everyone in the community supports each other, and he even mentioned that the Neighborhood Democratic Council (NDC) for that neighbourhood is doing an excellent job in maintaining the community.
Singh noted that earlier that day, the NDC had visited that area and weeded the parapets on the road.

Singh did say, however, that something he wants to see rectified is the playfield in the area. He said that it is a recreational area for the residents, and many go there to hang out or play an occasional game of cricket. The playfield is next door to the gas station and is said to have been in a terrible state for some months now.