| By Alex WayneIt is a remarkably serene little village on the East Coast of Demerara some 32 miles east of the city. It consists of a series of interesting characteristics that make up its very existence.It was noted that, over time, the once striking scenery of Calcutta Village has been drastically reduced due to neglect of some villagers as well as the Neighbourhood Democratic Council and other related bodies responsible for its maintenance.The first thing that struck me on entering the village was that several large sections were overgrown. The road that links Calcutta and neighbouring Burma is in need of repair, and the high bushes on its parapet were quite a repelling sight. The lone bus shed is now almost void of walls and seems to be begging to be repainted and generally repaired.Single-parent mom Oneca Williams was caught peeling corn for roasting, which is a weekend treat for her three children in (photo with her).Houses,Hugo Lloris Jersey UK, in some instances, are surrounded by high bushes, and several irrigation drains are overgrown with weeds and other plant species. A main trench just outside the Calcutta Primary School, dug to enhance drainage, is now completely overgrown and would engulf an entire herd of cattle if they were thrown into it.The school compound, too, is overgrown in some areas, making it definitely uncomfortable and risky for students. Some parents I engaged in conversation related that they have been complaining of the state of the schoolyard for ages, but their lamentations have fallen on deaf ears.Some said that, not so long ago, a large alligator was found in the tall grass while school was in progress and children were playing during the breaks.Some villagers complained bitterly about the water supply, which they say fluctuates to their disadvantage. There is a well and pump station in the village, but many villagers say that while for the majority of a week they will get potable water, it is cut off without any explanation for almost the same period during another week.The pump station, too, has taken on the appearance of a ‘deserted tower’ surrounded by high bush.There was this group of mothers who recounted the recent alleged ordeal of a young mother whom they claimed contributed to the death of her 15-year-old daughter and rigged up a tale about seeing snakes wrapped around the girl’s neck before she died.That aside, these mothers and other villagers are seriously troubled by the attitude of a police officer at the Mahaicony Police Station whom they claimed physically assaulted a youngster for a cell phone which they claimed he had found in the village, but was reported as stolen by the owner to the police.Sources related that a young woman in the village lost the cellular phone and it was later found by the teenager, Travis Spencer, who obviously did not go ‘through the village asking who it belonged to’, but kept it.According to villagers, when the owner realized that he had the phone in his possession, she reported the matter to the police, and a rank, whose breath was reeking of alcohol, according to villagers, came to arrest the young man. Villagers said the police officer brandished his weapon and began to advise the scared lad that he was wanted by the police.Even village elders related that two community police officers who came with him (the irate police officer) ran for cover in the village bus shed, since they obviously thought that their colleague was going to shoot the lad.It was reported that the police officer even hit the lad more than once with his weapon.The young man was reportedly locked up for three days and then later placed on $15, 000 bail.Some mothers are contemplating staging a protest against what they call the ‘irresponsible and harsh treatment’ by the police.Way back in the 1960s Calcutta Village was a ‘very bushy settlement’ where one had to climb a tree to view the church and other main buildings in the area. It was separated by a lone canal from the neighbouring Catherine Ville, which is sometimes mistaken for an extension of Calcutta.According to a village elder, Eugenia Williams, the level of ‘harmony and deep love’ between villagers in those days has now evolved into a forum where youths have grown disrespectful of their elders and would torment them on a daily basis as they traverse the village.A new fear is sweeping the village, causing some people to lock up their homes early, and some men to provide further security measures for the buildings. For the first time in history,Obi Melifonwu Raiders Jersey, thieves seemed to have found their way into this mostly peaceful little village, and so far, have broken into the homes of Ann Abel and ‘Goudie Blue,’ a male who resides at the Calcutta Waterside area.Employment in this village is minimal, and this has contributed over the years to conflicts between villagers, since unemployed young men have developed the habit of stealing mangoes and coconuts from the properties of others, which they transport to the Stabroek and Bourda Markets for sale.There are also cases where persons would steal sand from the lands belonging to others and sell it illegally right under their noses, which in some cases led to physical combat when the scheme was unearthed.The honest at heart are,Malik McDowell Jersey, however, engaging in farming, poultry rearing, and to a lesser extent broom-making. Hence,Daryl Janmaat Jersey, it is a customary sight to see vegetables and ground provision farmers making their treks through the village with their produce laden on donkey and horse-drawn carts. Some even ship produce to the city.Regular employment abounds only periodically during the rice harvesting seasons, when rice farmers in Calcutta and outside villages will require plenty of manual labour for harvesting, paddy drying and, of course, milling.The village begins to awaken some time around 03:30 hrs to the sound of fishermen chattering noisily as they ride their rusty bicycles to the various canals and trenches for their predicted daily catch of ‘bush fish’.These fishermen, however, are from neighbouring villages of Recess, Good Faith, Dundee, Novar and even Huntley, all villages predominantly inhabited by people of East Indian ancestry.The clink of metal milk cans clanging against the metal of bicycles can also be heard as cattle rearers undertake their early morning journey to the savannah and backlands to extract milk from the animals for sale to many nearby villages.Soon after, a few health conscious morning joggers could be seen running along the Burma Road to the popular Silk Cotton Tree most persons use as their stopping point for stretches, squats and other exercises that are part of their routine.Calcutta Village now has a sports club. The Cat-re-cal-ab Sports Club benefits Calcutta and nearby villages– Recess, Little Abary and Catherine Ville. Several teams will compete at football, circle tennis and cricket at various intervals, offering much entertainment for youths and adults alike.Uncle Esszie Grocery Shop and Liquor Store is the main location where housewives would gather and chat merrily as they access their meat and daily kitchen necessities. About five small stalls have since sprung up around the village, offering the same service, the most popular being Sandy Beaton’s ‘Corner Mark Shop’ which offers a 24-hour service and, of course, a place for youths to lime, chat and make lewd jokes as they laze around.Menace Nightclub is the focus of all entertainment; and compliments of its owner, Orin Downer, there are various weekend activities especially geared at promoting clean and entertaining fun for the youths.On Emancipation Day every year, villagers would don African wear and would sing, dance and engage in great festivity in the streets. There is also a candlelight parade,Cheap Authentic Jerseys, where villagers would walk through Calcutta to the adjoining Little Abary, singing folk songs.Some elderly folks in the village reflected on nights of story telling around campfires, picnics in the woods or savannahs, and of course the traditional yearly Soiree event at which great masses congregated for a night of sizzling activity where they ‘connected with their roots’.There are quite a few single-parent mothers in the village, but what was noted is that these mothers are not waiting around for the irresponsible fathers to ‘come up with the cash’, but instead have found jobs.With a little cleaning up of its geographical structure and proper maintenance,Claudio Bravo Barcelona Jersey, Calcutta can soon evolve as one of the villages in Guyana that have moved from primitive to high class modernisation and unique development. |
