Across the various sectors of the country’s economy there are skills that appear to have been set aside as other seemingly more lucrative options arise, that trend accelerating even as the advent of the country’s oil and gas industry, with all that it has to offer, seemingly accelerating that trend.
If the crafting of metal into both things of beauty or objects the possess a greater utilitarian sense of value has not been known to significantly transform the material fortunes of more than a handful of those that have ventured into the metal work trade, there are those who have extracted an alternative aesthetic compensation from practicing the pursuit. Baskarran Bhagwandin is one such person though, these days, he has had little choice but to pay enhanced attention to how his craft can bring him a greater measure of material gain.
For now, appreciation of the material worth of the creations turned out by Basko Metal Works of Charity, Essequibo Coast is limited to a handful of the ‘initiated’ in that community. Accordingly, these days, Baskarran has been ‘changing gears,’ seeking to broaden the base of appeal of his metal creations by taking his creations and his case to a market which he believes has now been rendered more lucrative by economic transformations that continue to enhance affordability, at least among those who may have already been able to take advantage of the country’s petro dollars.
Bhawandin’s immediate priority, he told the Stabroek Business recently, was to seek to acquire premises that would ‘fit the bill,’ both in terms of fashioning his metal creations as well as providing suitable display space within which to parade those creations.
One of his options, he told the Stabroek Business recently, is to seek the assistance of government in the acquisition of land somewhere in the capital where he can both practice his craft and attract worthwhile consumer attention.
Doing business on the Essequibo Coast is tough, he says. In order to “keep going” he has had to reduce his labour costs by around 25% to make more financial space for the acquisition of raw materials that are critical to his trade. Those considerations apart, the market on the Essequibo Coast for what he has to offer is limited………he needs more economic space to grow.
Understandably, new economic space in which to grow new is his current priority and he believes that this can only be found in the capital.
Basko Metal Works is a modest five years old. It begun in response to the demand for gates, grills and doors. Over time Basko found a niche in the Gym Equipment sector.
There was, however, still room to grow. Metal work, he discovered could be ‘bent’ to meet the needs of other markets. His much-admired Cinderella Carriage was built -to – order for Iman Bacchus and Sons’ Fun Park. Its popularity has provided considerable ‘marketing’ for his Firm. These days, his clients He has done work for the Jaigobin Hotelat Anna Regina, Iman Bacchus and Sons at Affiance and the Kennedy Gym at Henrietta. Various households on the Coast seek out his services from time to time.
That said, Bhawandin told the Stabroek Business that over the past three years he has had to ‘bat’ on a decidedly ‘sticky’ business ‘wicket.’ Accordingly, setting aside the significant cuts that he has been forced to make to the firm’s labor costs he has also been focused reducing his ‘overheads.’ These pursuits, he says, have allowed him to ensure that basic family needs are not threatened.
Going forward, he is facing a doubling of raw material costs, which increases have been steadily inching their way forward over the past two years.
In what is decidedly a ‘dodgy’ business climate Bhagwandin says that there is no room for ‘cutting corners.’ His work, he says, almost invariably must stand the test of criticisms that have to do with both aesthetics and ‘wear and tear.’ If you rail in either department your credibility (and by extension) your business could take an impactful tumble.
The Carriage, Bhagwandin says, ranks among his more significant creations. While the Artist’s Impression was provided by the Contractor, the creation of a ‘work of art’ that adds value to the Park in which it is situated (The Carriage has become a favored decorative enhancement for ‘event’ photographs, notably weddings.
Bhagwandin digresses to reflect on his ‘days as a student of the Cotton Field Secondary School and his journey through wrote the Caribbean Examination Council examinations and his post-Secondary excursion into ‘good times.’ The indulgence, he said he said had encountered zero tolerance from his father It was this he said that led him to enrollment at Essequibo Technical Institute, though his stay there had lasted a mere six months. He had begun his ‘real’ working life as a laborer though his father’s insistence that he learn ‘a skill’ saw him ‘moving on.’ His apprenticeship as a Mechanic at Terry’s Workshop at Richmond on Essequibo Coast was followed by a move to Barbados. It was here that he honed and refined his craft as a Welder.
These days, the opening of business opportunities has provided him with the strongest of incentives to take his enterprise to ‘the next level.’ He looks to government’s approval of his application for a plot of land in the city on which to further his pursuits as a critical key to ‘changing gears’ and moving forward.
