Nestled in Canal Number Two Polder on the West Bank Demerara is a petite village called Mon Desir. A mostly Indo-Guyanese community, Mon Desir is small only as far as its residential area goes. In fact the residential area is so tiny that one could pass through the entire village in 5 minutes. However, it’s actually a big place when one considers the farmlands that run for miles beyond.
Mon Desir has a population of less than 250 residents. Most of the villagers do not have their own mode of transportation which isn’t a problem since they either cross the two bridges that link the village to the public road or walk to the junction where Mon Desir meets with two other villages—Belle West and Clay Brick—to use public transportation.
A trench that runs from the conservancy dam all the way to the koker at the intersection of Stanleytown and Belle Vue separates Mon Desir from the Canal Number Two public road. Along the trench. lush green grass grows with explosions of pretty wildflowers here and there dancing in the wind. Trees growing along the public road seem to be reaching for the water running by. Young fellows with rods can be seen sometimes catching patwa and other fresh water fish from the rippling black water.
A few cattle graze at the corner of the road and in vacant lots while cranes (birds) stand guard near them fending off flies and other insects. One cow standing in the trench sips the cool, refreshing water.
Voices from the noisy school children attending the Endeavour Secondary School in the nearby village cuts through the stillness in the air. The younger boys scamper through the street leading away from the school’s premises. Now on their lunch break, they come walking through Mon Desir to their homes in the village or using the same route to homes in the other nearby villages. Vehicles drive slowly along the pot-holed road.
Just ahead, an auto sales business belonging to Parmanand Narine showcases spanking new vehicles parked on the parapet. Lawns are mostly neatly cut and flowers planted in yards spill over onto the parapet outside. One of these flowered yards belongs to resident, Bhagmania Haricharan.
Bhagmania recalls being born and raised in Windsor Forest on the West Coast Demerara. When she was a little girl her parents separated and took other partners leaving Bhagmania and her smaller siblings with their grandmother. She was 13 years old when their living arrangements forced her to find work, planting and cutting rice, to maintain herself and siblings. When she attained the age of 16, she was married to Etwaru Samaroo and moved with him to Mon Desir.
When they arrived, they found the area overrun by bush. She and her husband cleared the land and planted sugar cane. They also planted cassava and plantain which she sold at the Wales market on Fridays and Saturdays.
The 75-year-old mother of 12—6 boys and 6 girls, 3 of whom are now deceased along with her husband—recalls a time when they had no electricity and would have to cross the dam, the trench and finally the Canal Number Two public road to gain access to running water from a stand pipe. Often, on getting there, they would find some 20 persons already waiting in line to fill their receptacles.
Bhagmania says she has no worries today except for the road that is filled with pot-holes. She has electricity 24/7 and water just the same. She enjoys living her life in peace and quiet.
A little way ahead, just about halfway through the village, lives the oldest villager, Durpattie Cecil also known as Sister Rose, who lives with her two sons and daughter-in-law. A few months ago the Shiva Mandir celebrated her birth anniversary with her; she completed 87 years. Durpattie was born in the year 1928 further down Canal Number Two Polder. At the tender age of 13, Sister Rose married Cecil Lall and migrated to Mon Repos. After 2 years they returned to Canal Number Two Polder but after they got tired of living in rented apartments, they purchased a piece of land in Mon Desir, where she still resides today. Their union brought forth 16 children—7 boys and 9 girls—2 of whom are now deceased along with their father.
She remembers well the few cents they would’ve paid for groceries. “Kerosene and rice were really cheap back then,” she recalled. One major upset in the early/mid-nineties was during the rainy season when the “knee-deep” muddy dam was difficult to use especially for pregnant mothers in labour who would’ve had to be lifted out by their husbands.
Like Bhagmania, she too used the stand-pipe across the road to gedt water for drinking and cooking. The water from the trench was used mainly for the washing of clothes and dishes and bathing. Today she has access to clean, running water in her house.
Back then, most of the villagers laboured at the Wales Sugar Estate (then called Booker Brothers’ Sugar Estate) while some caught fish and reared farm animals and sold their milk and eggs to make a living. Today, Mon Desir residents earn their living as teachers, drivers, farmers, fishermen, businessmen and women, but most villagers still work at the Wales Sugar Estate.
One such is Mohan Girwar, a labourer at the Wales Sugar Estate. Mohan was born in Mon Desir 60 years ago.
He attended the Endeavor Primary School (now Endeavor Secondary) but not for long as he dropped out to take care of his younger siblings because of his mother was ailing. He recalled that many years ago persons wishing to visit the capital city had to do so aboard a wooden bus, which took them to the Vreed en Hoop Stelling, where they crossed the Demerara River to Georgetown on board a ferry. The Demerara Harbour Bridge did not exist then.
According to Girwar life in Mon Desir is quiet and comfortable. Unlike many years ago, today he has access to electricity, water and better transportation. He said that grocery vans drive through the village every other day offering a convenient service to residents.
He admitted however that the road is in dire need of being fixed. Landline phones and street lights were a few other needs mentioned by him. He also took the opportunity to beseech the relevant authorities to make the Stanleytown/Belle Vue koker larger so that it would drain excess water as during the rainy season their farms would often flood.
Girwar boasted of the concern and love of his neighbours. He said that if a villager left his/her home for a few days, neighbours would make it their duty to overlook the premises. On religious holidays the Mon Desir residents whether Muslims, Hindus or Christians share their sweetmeats and other goodies with each other. They also enjoy each other’s customs whether it’s playing Phagwah or flying kites.
Apart from caring for each other, Mon Desir residents are also very hospitable to visitors, which seems very much in keeping with the beauty and serenity of the little village.
