During a season when the world is filled with joy and good cheer, there are still many who mourn over the loss of a loved one. Nobody wishes for Christmas to be dark and gloomy but it is the harsh reality that persons have to live with.
A perfect example of such a case is Tajeranie Chowtie, the mother of Mahesh Chand who was allegedly murdered by his father back in September after intervening in an argument between his parents.
Chand, 24, a porter of 81 Narine Street, Annandale, East Coast Demerara was attempting to defuse the argument but instead reportedly became the target of his father, Amernauth Chand, who was said to have been hounding his wife for money to buy drugs.
Mahesh Chand was stabbed several times about his body and later pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
When the mother spoke with Stabroek News late last week she said she was not looking forward to Christmas but would still try so her two younger children could be happy. “But no matter if we dress up the house it won’t make me happy. How me gon deh happy? Me can’t deh happy. Meh done lose him… but I still want them two to be happy…”, the still grieving mother said.
Chowtie was quick to point out that her son used to be her supporter as he would work and ensure that they had enough to be contented with. She reminisced on last Christmas where he gave her money to purchase goodies such as “apple and grapes and thing for us to cook and eat” and even gave her money to buy a present for herself. Still visibly shaken by the loss of her son, she recalled that before he bought clothing for himself he bought clothes for his younger siblings and then himself.
“He made sure we had Christmas but this year there is no Christmas for me”, she said fight back tears from streaming down her face.
The mother of four said Christmas was a holiday that Mahesh would enjoy since he was a child.
“He like Christmas, he does make sure we have Christmas and then you know look after heself…once he know he give me money to buy things then he would go and buy things for himself.”
As she spoke with Stabroek News on the stairs of her house, she recalled her son was jovial and anytime his father misbehaved and left the house he would always try to cheer her up. “I can look vex and say me ain’t laughing but he would always come around and make me laugh. “He was the light of the house now this house dull,” Chowtie lamented.
With tears streaming down her cheeks during the interview, she said her life would never be the same again. “Everytime we remember him we cry… His sister was remembering him making jokes a night and she start cry.”
Questioned about she is now surviving, she said her two younger children support the family and at intervals a third son who lives with an aunt would assist her whenever he works.
“The two small ones does work and help me, another big brother too does help. I can’t work now because I get sickly. The girl work at a store in Georgetown and the small boy works around the area”, she said. The other brother who is a carpenter, she said would give her money when he works “but you know not every day a carpenter does get work,” the mother explained.
And while the support she receives would be small, she said they are contented with what they have.
She noted that when her son was alive he would take the responsibility “as man of the house” since his father would only be interested in buying “drugs and alcohol.” “He does seh mammy buy things fuh them and to cook”, she recalled.
She said that her husband never had a good relationship with her son since he would always stand up to him.
“He knows the boy does help me… If he around the boy would go in his own corner, the boy never like him because how he does treat me… and he know that”, she said firmly.
The mother added that persons frequently tell her to go and visit the father of her children in prison but she said “I don’t want to see him. Let he stay there…people ah tell me let we carry things for him but me gone never do that…”
The mother added that following the tragedy, persons have helped greatly to do projects on the house, which her son’s mind was set on. “He would always say mommy I gone help you with the house… the house use to leak a lot… and but like since he died he blow good wind pon me because people keep helping me. I get to do things that his mind was on”, she disclosed.
On the fatal September night, the mother stated that her husband was asking for $400 change that had been left on a table. Chowtie said she could not find the money and that resulted in the man confronting her. She said she later learned that Amernauth had taken the money and hidden it in his pocket but nonetheless kept harassing her for the change that she could not find. Chowtie added that the quarrel woke her son and he handed her $200 to give to his father to prevent him from further harassing her. “He wake up and seh tek this $200 and give he,” she recounted.
Seeing them in conversation angered Amernauth, Chowtie related, while adding that the man accused his son of always siding with his mother. As a result, she said, the two got into an argument and the father allegedly rushed to the kitchen and retrieved a cutlass with a slim, pointed blade and charged at his son.
Chowtie added that she heard her son groaning but could not have helped him since her husband was patrolling “up and down the yard” and she had run downstairs and hid herself in the bushes as she was afraid he would have injured her. “I hear he calling fuh me but I frighten so me na come out… meh daughter she call me and tell meh he gone, that I could come out but I frighten still to come out,” she said.
Chowtie added that when she came out of hiding, she raised an alarm but neighbours did not respond immediately, since it was usual for the couple to argue. “Me na go to face meh son, meh holla and holla after dem tell meh he done deh bad and he done dead…,” she said.
After neighbours became aware of the situation, the police were summoned and the injured youth was taken to the hospital almost an hour after.
The father is currently on remand after being charged with the murder of his son.
