Category: Features

By Mohanlall Suelall Someone once said that failure is not a permanent experience and that one should rise above it and choose to be better than they were since changing and growing are what make you win. Perhaps it was that very saying and his refusal to accept that failure was there to stay, that drove Sir Raghunauth Doodnauth to the pinnacle of success today. Coming from a single-parent home where household chores coupled with little or no access to financial resources meant limited studying time for Sir Raghunauth. It…

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By Utama Bell “It’s because I love what I do, I stay here”. Those were the words of 66-year-old Linden veteran Teacher and Educator Marcia Craig, whom I sat down with recently for an interview on the occasion of World Teachers’ Day. ‘Miss Craig’, as she has been passionately called throughout the years by both students and residents alike in the community has been in the teaching profession for 51 years, having started this prestigious lifelong calling in the year 1968. I was amused when she told me this. “That’s…

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Worship of the Almighty as Divine Mother is an age-old tradition in India and countries that practices Hinduism and a refined part of the culture. It has been in existence since prehistoric times, but geographically it is limited to Asian countries in general and India in particular, in the current century. The history of ancient civilizations of Indus, Greece, Rome, Babylon and Egypt bears evidences to the worship of Divine Mother in different forms – nature, art, learning, culture and enlightenment. Kanya Puja is one of the most essential aspects…

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It is quite often said that a family that prays together, stays together and Navratri is one the many Hindu festivals that affords families to gather around and offer prayers to the Devine Mother. Navaratri, a nine day-long festival, is observed in many Indian states and other parts of the world with Indian influence. According to the Hindu calendar, the festival is celebrated in the month of Ashvin, which typically falls in September and October, as per the Gregorian calendar. People all across the country, mainly in the northern and…

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In February of 2003 (see letter to the press – Stabroek News February 8, 2003) I made a call for ‘A Day of Guyanese Literature’ to be established and placed on our local calendar. Since then Guyanese Literature has blossomed into something significant enough to be elevated to any university academic programme. On February 18, 2011, at the conclusion of Guyana’s first street book fair which I coordinated under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, I envisioned the City of Georgetown been named by UNESCO as…

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Tributes poured in at the Promenade Gardens on Wednesday morning, as Guyanese came out in their numbers in remembrance of Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary. Organised by the Indian High Commission in Guyana, the event was well attended by former presidents, cabinet members and representatives from the diplomatic corp. Born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, he was an Indian lawyer and political leader who embarked on a mission of nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India’s independence from British Rule. This in turn, inspired movements for civil rights…

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By Lakhram Bhagirat Being a social worker is a very challenging profession. It requires tremendous sacrifices from persons are dedicated to helping their clients and willing to make a change in those individuals’ lives. Some would say that most people choose the profession, because it is easy, but they underestimate the sacrifices and hardship social workers make and undergo, respectively. Social workers must be willing to work with everyone, or anyone despite their social, ethical, educational or cultural background. The top priority of every social worker is to improve the…

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Some books have a knack (yes, books have a life of their own; books are alive and have the capacity) of surfacing at the most appropriate time. ‘Come Lehwe Reason: A Journey of 50 years with Walter Rodney’ written and compiled by Eric Huntley and published Bogle L’Ouverture Publications, is one such book, surfacing at a time when Guyana, transfixed by elections implosion and by monstrous economic explosion, may need to ‘reason’ one with the other. ‘Come Lehwe Reason’ is a tiny, yes, yet another tiny book pregnant with meaning,…

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By Lakhram Bhagirat E-cigarettes are supposed to be replacements for tobacco packed cigarettes in an effort to reduce the dependency on the harmful chemicals in tobacco but they are now proving to be a danger. Over the recent weeks, much has come to the fore about the effects of e-cigarettes and there have even been some deaths as a direct effect of vaping. E-cigarettes are devices powered by batteries which have the ability to convert liquid nicotine into vapour or a mist. Hence the terminology, vaping. The United States’ Centers…

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