— Mayor Narine says struggles did not daunt his spirit for change

FROM wearing one school uniform for two years of his secondary school life to living on his own at age 17, Mayor Pandit Ubraj Narine has faced many uphill battles growing up.
Born on October 12, 1991 at the Suddie Hospital, Essequibo Coast to Bhagwandin Narine, he was an only child who was abandoned by his father.

Narine was elected Georgetown Mayor following the November 12, 2018, Local Government Elections (LGEs) and commenced official work on January 1, 2019.
He grew up with his grandparents on the island of Wakenaam at the tender age of eight months old after his parents separated. His grandparents have since passed on.

Narine attended the Maria Pleasure nursery and primary schools in Wakenaam and when his grandmother passed away, he moved to the West Coast of Demerara (WCD) where he was reunited with his mother, but had to face the challenges of dealing with a stepfather.
Narine had a tough time living with his mother and stepfather. He attended the Crane Primary School before moving on to Uitvlugt Secondary, where he sat the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) examinations and earned seven subjects.

Because of the hostile environment at his mother’s home, he rotated between his aunt’s and mother’s homes in Crane, WCD.
“I attended secondary school with one shirt and pants for two years because my stepfather was not an easy man. At the time of writing my CXCs, I had no one to pay for the exams for me and my aunt and a cousin in Canada took up that responsibility. I wrote eight subjects and passed seven,” he reflected with tears in his eyes.

Nevertheless, at age 11, he began practising as a young pandit since he was exposed to religious studies while living with his grandparents.
“Understanding Hindi at a young age gave me the opportunity to begin practising as a pandit at the age of 11. While attending school, I attended pandit classes in Leonora after heading to lessons, then I got into contact with an international university who had a lecturer from India and that organisation was in Guyana between the period of 2005 – 2008. I wrote the pandit exam and passed,” he recalled.
After dedicating his energies as a priest, Narine fell severely sick in January 2010.

GOD HAD A DIFFERENT PLAN
“God had given me life once again, when even the doctor had given up on me after spending 15 days in hospital.”
After being discharged, he decided to return to his mother’s home and was greeted with all his clothing and valuables packed in a bag on the step waiting on him.
He then collected his belongings and moved to Georgetown where he rented an apartment at the age of 17.

“But because I had started earning from the age of 11 because of my pandit practice, I decided I could go on my own and from 2010 to 2013, I lived alone; then the Maha Sabha appointed me priest and I was given a quarter to live in which is now my present address where I reside,” he explained.

After qualifying himself as a certified pandit, Narine’s quest for knowledge increased and he aimed for a legal education, hoping one day to be a part of the magistracy.
“I was unable to succeed because of the lack of financial and parental support,” he said. Nevertheless, he decided to persevere with his religious studies and as a priest at the Guyana Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, Lamaha Street, Georgetown.

“I have received tremendous support from a tender age from the Maha Sabha and I will always be eternally grateful,” he said.
Because he no longer had a rent on his shoulders, Narine decided to take a loan and purchase a car, allowing him to move around and meet persons who sparked his interest in local politics.
Pandit Narine is related to Preetam Singh, who is a former People’s National Congress parliamentarian.

“I am embraced by him and his words and I do not believe in any form of racism; and I started my political career in 2013 trying to find my way and to give a voice to the voiceless about the society and community in which I live,” he said.
Narine said he read many classical and contemporary political studies and books that gave him a realistic perspective on Guyana’s political history.

Taking it one step at a time, he intends to continue up the political ladder.
In September 2013, he also met his wife Meenakshi Harricharran at a private hospital where he had visited to do a medical check-up.

“She gave me a very hard time and I went to her mother and she was very nice and gave me all assurance, but not her father; and I kept trying and paved my way until I did everything possible including buying roses and surprising her with lunches. We eventually got married on 24, May 2014,” Narine reflected with a smile on his face.

From their union, he now has a daughter. He said his wife has since changed careers from being a nurse to studying accountancy.
“I had continued with my studies, I did a diploma in legal studies, a diploma in guidance and counselling, I did Sanskrit at the third level, I was appointed an ambassador of peace. I was later appointed a marriage officer, then a Justice of Peace and Commissioner of Oath and I furthered my pandit studies,” Narine said.

As a Hindu priest, Narine said he served all without looking forward for any returns, since altruism is the purest form of religion.

SELFLESS SERVICE
“If a poor man called me to go and do their function, I go. I never charge in my life, I never put a fee to my rituals,” he said.
Beaming, the mayor said he has followed the teachings of both Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi.

Putting these teachings to the test, he said during his operations in the PNCR, he had tested the party’s democracy when he put forward himself to campaign.
“No other than the chairperson of the PNCR Volda Lawrence supported me, because I have seen her as a woman of true justice and loyalty. I have seen her with a vision for youths, I have seen her with integrity and respect for all races and I said I laid my cards before her and democracy prevailed,” he said.

During his run for LGEs representing his constituency of Queenstown and Alberttown, Narine said when he won that constituency, it did not dawn on him that he would become mayor.

“I did not have an aim to become the mayor, I just wanted to service the community; some may throw bricks at you, some may throw flowers, but I always take those bricks and stones and build bridges and I will take the flowers and beautify myself,” he said.
In giving advice to youths, he said life will be filled with various challenges; some may seem insurmountable, but “there is a place for you in life and only you have the power to make a positive difference in your life.”

He continued: “I look at myself as a Guyanese and not an Indian and I do not see people through the lens of race; and team work among everyone is the only way we will all prosper.”

Quoting former President Forbes Burnham, Narine said “You don’t have to be Black or Indian or Putagee or what race you may be, you don’t need to have anything, you can be a farmer, but as long as you are a Guyanese you are welcome in politics to fight for the freedom of Guyana.”

During the first year of his tenure, Narine hopes to inspire “accountability, transparency and integrity within the council”.