Mr. Dindial Persaud

DindialPersaud was born on June 21, 1941 in Vryheid Village. He was the youngest son of the late Seedat and BhagnatiPersaud. The people of Vryheid knew him as Basil. But, for us, my brother, sisters and I, he was Chacha Basil. Being the last of nine children you would think Chacha Basil would be pampered but that was not the case. As early as age seven, his sisters made sure he fetched water from the waterworks canal to wash dishes and clothes. Soon thereafter, he used to accompany his brother Boyo to pen cows for milking the next morning. By the time he was seven, he began to work with his parents and brothers in the rice fields. According to my late Aja, my Ajee would dress her baby boy in a big straw hat, and as he ran along the dam to the rice fields, the hat would fly away and he would run after it only to be scolded by my Ajee. Believe me my Ajee was one tough old gyal. At age thirteen, my brother Lionel went to live with my Aja and Ajee so he could attend high school. He and Chacha who was then twelve became close friends, and the bonds between them were more like brothers rather than uncle and nephew. In the afternoons after school, they would both go in search of the cows, split firewood and fetch water from the canal. They slept in the same bed, and would stay up late talking trash. My brother often said to me that he was amazed to see how strong Chacha was. Whatever work they were doing, Chacha would go on non-stop while my brother would take breaks in the shade. By the time he was ready to help Chacha, the work would be completed. By the age of sixteen, Chacha had to find employment because his parents couldn’t afford to send him to high-school. He worked at Hassan store selling car parts, and the money he earned, he gave some to his parents and used some to pay for evening commercial classes. From work, he would rush home from work, cut grass for the cows, then pen the cows and rush back to New Amsterdam for his evening classes. Soon after I became thirteen, I too went to live with my Aja and Ajee in order to attend high school. Like my brother before me, I joined Chacha in the rice fields, the farms and taking care of the cows. In my little mind, the man would not stop working, and all I could do was to struggle along behind him. Yet, he never complained. I can’t recall a single time when my Chacha ever raised his voice at me. He was always soft spoken. When Chacha was nineteen, my Aja died and Chacha Basil was left to take care of his elderly mother. A little over a year later, my Dad, being the eldest child decided that Chacha should get married. After contacting family members to look for eligible girls, Chacha’s marriage was arranged. Even though Chacha and I still went in search of the cows, he never spoke of his intending marriage. I am not sure how he felt, only to say that he never uttered one word of complaint.

Mr. Dindial Persaud

June 21, 1941 - August 22, 2016