Story and photos by David Pappanah
Well known because it is home to Guyana’s premier beach, No 63 is a small village whose official name is No 63 Benab. Unsurprisingly it is bordered by No 64 village on the east and No 62 village on the west. The predominantly Indian village has a population of a little over two hundred and fifty people, although it houses the Tagore Memorial School, a telecoms exchange, Freedom House, the Water Users’ Association office, a post office, rice mill, a clothing store, variety shops, a play school, a nursery school, a church, the Sunnatul Jamaat, a beach hotel, a community centre ground and a Ministry of Agriculture building, most of which service the communities around, and not just No 63. The area falls under the No 52-74 NDC district.
The general area where No 63 is located is mainly a farming one, with rice farms, and on the smaller scale, kitchen gardens. Some people are self-employed or work with the farmers or with GuySuCo at the Skeldon estate. The neighbourhood is not one with heavy crime, but residents say it does have persons who would steal one or two items. However, one resident expressed concern about the young people who are abusing drugs and alcohol, and said this was the reason for the petty theft in the community.
The rice mill which is owned by Afzal Haniff has been in the village for 48 years. When SN stopped by, workers were busy carrying out their daily duties. The owner said that rice farmers from Black Bush, No 45, No 70, No 71 as well as other villages came to have their paddy milled under the brand ‘Corentyne Gold.’ The rice mill also helps some residents earn an income by providing employment.
Ishwarlall Seepersaud has been a resident of this popular beach destination for 22 years, and he gave SN a history of the little village. The No 63 Benab, he recounted, was an estate owned by the Rahamans and it was they who began to sell plots to others and how the area became populated. Gradually persons started to buy house lots. The street on which his house is now located used to be part of the main road back then. He went on to say that the Ministry of Agriculture used to have several guest houses in No 63, but they were no longer functional for some reason or the other.
The village also used to house the Regional Vice Chairman’s office, Seepersaud said, which was very convenient for the residents in the villages close by, but now they had to go to New Amsterdam to transact a business with the region. He added that there was a man named Ramaotla who used to plant the biggest garden around and had the best fruit, but now he is no longer there.
Seepersaud boasted that the rice mill in the area was the best brown rice mill in the country because of its well-kept and clean facilities. This resident also noted that many of the villagers had migrated to the United States.
He himself still resides with his wife and son at his No 63 home, and in the course of the conversation it was gathered that he loves the village because of its natural beauty, fresh cool breezes and most of all, the peace and quietness. Seepersaud said he used to work with the Ministry of Agriculture hydraulics department and later drove a bus on the road. Now he is home he plants a kitchen garden. He related that his son is a 3rd year apprentice at the GuySuCo training school working at the Skeldon sugar estate. When asked what was the most recent development in the village he replied that there had not be any. However he wished that the Ministry of Tourism and Ministry Public Works could create a better entrance to access the beach since persons came from all over to visit it and could see its condition.
In his spare time he would visit the beach but not regularly: “I had some relatives recently and they enjoyed the beach; they were thrilled to visit the beach every day.” For him mostly in his spare time he and his wife would take a stroll down the road every afternoon, or if possible in the early morning.
At the entrance to the famous beach lies a clothing store which is owned by Donna. She had just come back from the market and was relaxing in her hammock. She told this newspaper that she loves the area because of its peace and friendly residents. “People live with each other good, they do not fight like in some areas,” she said. Donna indicated that she has been residing in the village for over eleven years and her business has been around since then. She explained that persons would stop at her boutique when they visited the beach and would purchase from her. When asked about issues in the area she responded that she was recently affected by flooding as a result of the recent high tide, and there was about four feet of water in her premises. She expressed herself willing to work with the NDC to assist with the drainage in front of her store, which is one of the main drainage channels of the area.
As far as the beach is concerned, she remarked that the area would come alive on holidays and weekends. People would come from neighbouring Suriname just to visit the beach. Residents would also pick up their friends and family and head to the beach, while others would go to horse racing at No 66 village whenever that was held.
This newspaper also met up with Usha Kumar, a rice farmer’s wife who was busy with her Saturday chores. Kumar told SN that she has been residing the community for over 29 years and she finds to be an extremely quiet environment. The community has developed a lot from the 19 century to the 2000’s in terms of utilities; “long ago you had to dig holes for water and had to light lamps in the night but now we have pipe lines and current along with telephone”. She added. Kumar said that her husband Hemand Kumar is the sole planter of rice in the village and he would normally sell his paddy to Nand Persaud at No 36 village. The family would also provide employment to persons in the community. When it comes to recreation she said residents, especially the young lads, would play cricket at the community ground that is located next to the Tagore Memorial Secondary School, while others would go to the beach or just stay home and look at television.
Kumar remarked that many persons had kitchen gardens, and some walked around and sold fresh produce. The Skeldon-Corriverton market was the main source of meat or fish.
SN met one resident who was too shy to give his name, but who owns a small shop. He described the area as a quiet quarter to live in, and said that he had been there for over 35 years and loves it. One major concern for him is the garbage situation on the beach. He wished that visitors would be more responsible and take their garbage with them.
When this newspaper was about to leave the village, we met a group of residents relaxing under some trees located between the public road and the only street in the area. There Sabrina Parmessar a resident for over 22 years related that the area is quiet and problem free, and that residents would work along with others. At her end of the community, if people do not go to the beach to unwind, they would play cricket or would go and relax under the same shady trees where we found her.
SN’s last stop was at Kemraj Ramdass, a resident of 40 years and now an overseas-based Guyanese doing some errands to fix up his ranch. He thought the area liveable and peaceful – “No complaint about the area [living conditions]” he said. He was visiting for the August vacation with some members of his family. However he was disappointed with the drainage facilities in his part of the village. He stated that the recent heavy rainfall and high tide had affected him because some of his fruits trees had died after the water was unable to drain off quickly enough. Other than that he is planning to return in the future to live and take care of his farm and the ranch he is setting up.
The beach is usually filled on holidays like Easter, Caricom Day, and August 1, along with Sundays. It has several benabs, a grandstand, changing rooms and a resort named the Sunsplash Holiday Inn. The authorities have been asking visitors to keep the beach clean since it is a premier tourist destination.
