Bush Lot Village: an evolving settlement where the races commune as one

Jun 02, 2019 News

---

By Alex Wayne

I actually briefly passed through Bush Lot Village a couple of times, and was always taken aback by the constant bustle that seemed to beset the location. More so, I was always impressed with the way it was rapidly developing and keeping abreast with modern transform

ation, so naturally I was more than ready to explore this village, inside out…
Well I have close relatives in the adjoining village of Hopetown, West Coast Berbice, so I decided to stop there so I could solicit the company of a close cousin who knows the village well. There were screams of delight when I arrived at my relatives, especially from the females who always celebrate my visits.
They knew for sure it was time for non-stop laughter as I teased them and made fun of their outdated apparel.
The males, of course, quickly scurried away in all directions because they knew it meant hours of stern admonishing and fiery tongue lashing about their dress code (pants dropping below their buttocks with underwear exposed), and their unruly appearances.
Bush Lot is a medium to large community in Region Five (Mahaica/Berbice), approximately 56 miles

from Georgetown… Rice production is the main business of the population of over 6000 residents. Bush Lot is a largely ethnically East Indian village where residents are mainly Hindus, Muslim and Christians.
The village has a Health Centre, the Bush Lot Government Secondary, Latchman Singh Primary and Bush Lot Nursery Schools.
However, there is also a Bush Lot in Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) which exhibits some of the main characteristics of Bush Lot in Region Five. The population there also is mainly of East Indian descent. It has a secondary school, a health centre and a horse race track.
I did not know what to expect in Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice, so I went with an open mind, ready for practically anything I encountered. Hopetown Village was just a few rods away from Bush Lot so I decided to walk over in the company of a close female relative.
The crisp, fresh breeze blew in from the nearby Atlantic Ocean, bringing a refreshing cool to the cheeks. I was very impressed with the very good roads in this area, and marveled at the waves lapping soothingly in well maintained irrigation canals.

Cows grazed lazily on lush green grass by the roadside, and clusters of fattened sheep, bleated in open fields, seeming to enjoy healthy looking grass and shrubs, made juicier by prolonged rainfall.
I was not warned about the somewhat precarious turn in the Bush Lot Public Road, that wove its way into Hopetown, and I yelped in dismay as a speeding truck almost ploughed into me as it rounded the turn at an alarming speed.
My cousin, Lewanda, managed to yank me to the road parapet, shouting, “Bai yu gat tuh be careful on this turn. You know how much accident happen here. Dem drivers ain’t get no time fuh humans or animals pon dis road. Look me cousin, stay in de corner; me ain’t able buy funeral clothes right now…It very expensive.”
I was much shaken, but after that it was strictly walking on the parapet for me.
Welcome to Bush Lot Village
As we entered the village I saw the level of camaraderie that seemed to exist among the ethnic races.

Residents stared at me with curiosity. They swept me up and down with their eyes, taking in my camera, pen and note pad. Maybe assuming I was a personality of importance, I received smiles, welcoming waves, and some even pleasantly enquired of my mission.
I saw women of African and Indian descent heckling and giggling in the shops, some of them whispering bedroom secrets about their spouses.
Bush Lot appeared to be a small but rapidly booming economic sector, and it was very apparent that villagers could practically get anything they desire in the village. I stopped in at Fizal Haniff who sells CDs and movies at his small business outlet and he was very eager to talk about the livelihood of residents.
“Bush Lot is a very peaceful and simple village. Everyone here lives as one big, happy family. We do not segregate because of race or creed. The people who come here to shop are villagers from areas like Hopetown, and even as far as Central Mahaicony.
“Well the going thing in this village is rice farming which was happening since this location was not even developed. But today, as you can see, almost everyone owns a shop, store, stall or business of some sort. Most persons here are self-employed in some way or the other and the percentage of villagers working elsewhere is very minimal.
“Of course, a few have migrated to the city and are working there, but most villagers prefer to do some form of work in the village. Many businesses have sprung up in Bush Lot over the years, and some of them offer employment for villagers.
“That aside, many are occupied selling vegetables from their farms, or in fabric and clothing establishments they have created.”
Bush Lot is a very impressive village, with clean streets, trenches, sandy dams (in some areas), posh buildings, and great expanses of farmlands in the ‘backlands area’. The layout of colourful and posh stores, houses, pharmacies, internet café and numerous variety stores for one moment had me making comparisons with that of our Garden City of Georgetown.
The development of Bush Lot is evident today in its good infrastructure, proper drainage, excellent lighting and of course security for residents. This, of course, would have been the end result of Government interventions and definitely with the efforts of residents.
Today it’s a location with a constant bustle, thriving businesses, and much scope for entertainment and recreation.
Retired rice farmer Mohan Sookdeo was more than ready to take us down that memory lane. With an almost toothless smile, and a somewhat boyish sparkle in his eyes, he invited me to enjoy the luxuries of a hammock beneath his home, and I relished the moment; it was very comfortable.
“Bush Lot was a very remote place when I was a young boy, with lots of waste land. There were muddy dams, which became messy with rainfall. The main road was not as good as today, and not so many outsiders came to the village.
“I can recall the days of a few cottage houses, in a few areas, thatched roof and mud wall houses still remained. It was all about farming in the backlands, since that was the main source of money. If you had a tractor to plough a rice field, everyone said you were a rich man.
“Bush Lot was very underdeveloped in the early 1980s, and it was not until after the 1992 election and after the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) came to office that things began to change for the better in the village.
“Before that we had bad roads and many unpaved streets. Muddy dams were the only route to farmlands and when the rain fell, sometimes it was impossible to get to these locations. Farmers suffered losses from flooding in the rain seasons in some areas as well.
“We had quite a few hire car drivers after that, but they were thereafter replaced by the minibuses we see speeding down the road today. As times change, people change as well. So when the minibuses came with music and all that, people soon after cared little for the old model hire cars.
“There were many fishermen in those days, and villagers depended on them greatly for fish on a daily basis. This Bush Lot you see today was the direct opposite of what it was when I was a young boy. The drainage has improved significantly but there are still some sections of the village that are lacking, causing setbacks for some farmers”
In times gone by Bush Lot was the very epitome of traditional East Indian culture and beliefs. However, today one hardly hears the pulsating sound of tassa drums, and accompanying instruments. In some areas, however, residents still practice the East Indian customs and beliefs.
Many have said that Bush Lot village has developed ‘on speed dial’, and they are quite right. The village has taken on the picturesque atmosphere of a thriving township and an infrastructural layout that has almost erased completely all evidence of its ‘yesteryear aura’.
In every nook and cranny of Bush Lot, there seems to be signs of ongoing economic and even agricultural development.

 

Ethic Harmony
One striking feature of Bush Lot is the rich camaraderie and unity that seems to weave its way around villagers keeping them closely knitted despite their race or creed.
It was evident in the females heckling at the street corners, or fussing jovially over the prices of groceries at the many shops there. The pleasant banter between shoppers and vendors was testimony to the fact that everyone there regarded the other as a brother or sister.
There was a distinct and very touching bond even between students of varying races. They pranced around nosily, walked with hands entwined, or clambered like a swarm of excited honey bees to enter the minibuses after school.
On the rice farms it was all shades and hues of ethnicity spraying rice fields, or harvesting paddy.
The shop proprietors all had an encouraging word for those making purchases, and in some instances they even tipped the weight scales with a little extra for their regular customers. The bond between teachers from all walks of life was very touching, causing me to decide inside that I was certainly going to return for a very fun filled day in the village.
That aside, most of the other areas in the village were ‘spic and span’ except for a few the drainage canals, not far from the Bush Lot Secondary and Latchmansingh Primary Schools.
A Commercial Highpoint
Bush Lot is indeed the ‘commercial haven’ for other villages far and wide. Many shoppers interviewed related that they had travelled many miles because they are assured of good service, excellent prices, and much security when shopping at the location.
Anata Fordyce, who traveled almost ten miles from Calcutta Village (Mahaicony) said she always came to Bush Lot because it saved her the expense and hassle of travelling to Georgetown for items that she needed.

“I always shop in Bush Lot and nowhere else. When I come here the service is excellent, and better than going to Georgetown where some business people are just impatient and rude and always looking for ways to rob a customer.
“In Bush Lot you are guaranteed of good service, good prices, and shoppers don’t have to be looking over their backs for pick pockets coming to rob them. Besides, everything you can get in Georgetown, you can get right here at very cheaper prices”
Bush Lot is at its busiest throughout the entire day and even into the late hours of the night. One might want to agree that this little village appears to be even busier than the Garden City of Georgetown, since parts of Georgetown go to sleep after certain hours.
While J S Trading Internet Shop and the Cell Phone Wizz were other businesses that seemed to attract a lot of customers, quite a few Chinese establishments are contributing to ‘business development’ too. The Video and Photo Works Gift Shoppe had its fair share of supporters.
The School View Ice-Cream Parlour located a few yards from the Bush Lot Secondary, Primary and Nursery Schools offers many mouth-watering sweet treats for children.
Other very busy entities include the J&S Furniture Store, Danny’s Internet Café, Chandra Prashad & Son’s General Store and a Money Gram Transfer Branch Office.
There is also the B&R Baljit Business Enterprise, a Bill Direct Outlet, the ‘Night Eyes’ CD and DVD Shop, and the A. Goberdan General Store & Agri. Centre . A DOCOL Representative also supplies the entire village with cooking gas.
Bush Lot is also the home to horse racing where popular horses like Sleeping in Town, Diamond Illusion, Majestic Windy Killer, Red and Lovely, Silent Flight, Flying Baby, Diamond Dazzling, Spice and Obama have competed.
Education
Bush Lot like many other locations, has become quite popular for its excellent educative achievements as could be seen in the passes netted at both the CXC and GCE examinations.
In 2010 the Bush Lot Secondary students won the Aditya Kids Trust Foundation’s Essay Competition for secondary schools. In that year Alana Husain and Gangadai Mathadin emerged winners of the competition and put the school on the map as a force to be reckoned with.
The essay competition was open to all fifth formers at secondary institutions between Mahaicony and Rosignol.
The Aditya Kids Trust Fund Foundation is based at Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice. It was established in December 2007 after the death of seven-year old Aditya Ramdhan, of Bath Settlement. The Waterloo Nursery School student was sponsored to undergo cardiac surgery in India but died after the procedure.
The foundation was conceptualised by Canada-born Lorraine Kissoon and formed by Canadian businessmen. It was managed by a board of directors who are based in Canada.
The non-profit body is registered with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports with its objectives being to provide assistance mainly to less fortunate children in the form of medical attention, social assistance, educational grants and the development of sports.

 

 

 

---

---