…on handmaidens It must be rough being a handmaiden, but Moses Nagamootoo is handling it with aplomb, if not outright glee. The handmaiden who brought the role to public notice was, of course, Bilhah, who served Rachael, consort of Jacob. When Rachel, jealous of her sister Leah, became frustrated when she couldn’t do her job – which in those days was getting children, especially sons – she said to Jacob: “Here’s my handmaid Bilhah. Go have sex with her. She can bear children on my knees so I can have…
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Young attorney admitted to Guyana’s bar
After graduating with honours from the Hugh Wooding Law School this year, 23-year-old Janet Adeba Ali has been admitted to Guyana’s bar to practice law in Guyana. Ali’s petition was presented by Attorney-at-Law Jamela Ali before Chief Justice Roxane George. During the petition, the Chief Justice advised Ali to always seek guidance from her seniors in the profession and to always keep abreast with and uphold the laws of Guyana, in order to have a striving career. Ali’s early education started at Queens College where she gained 12 subjects at…
Read MoreThe little Mud Diya: a connection with our ancestors
By Lakhram Bhagirat On what is described as the darkest night in the year, Hindus celebrate the auspicious occasion of Diwali, and the epic that goes with this festival states that it was the night Shree Ram, along with his wife, Sita, and brother Lakshman returned home to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile. It goes on to say that as the people in the Kingdom of Ayodhya prepared for the arrival of their beloved Shree Ram, they lit the pathways with little earthen lamps so as to illuminate the…
Read MoreLindener to spend 22 years behind bars for rape of 6-yr-old
Selwyn Lancaster, formerly of Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), was unanimously found guilty by a 12-member jury on two counts of rape earlier this month when his trial concluded before High Court Judge, Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall. On Tuesday the 45-year-old man was sentenced to a total of 22 years’ imprisonment on the two charges. On the first charge, which detailed that Lancaster engaged in sexual penetration with a six-year-old girl on October 8, 2018, Justice Morris-Ramlall sentenced him to serve 15 years’ imprisonment while she handed down a seven-year sentence…
Read MoreMore needs to be done to address high murder rate
Dear Editor, As a concerned citizen, I am trying to get the attention of all Government and religious leaders as well as my fellow citizens of Guyana with regards to the level of murders that has been taking place in Guyana. I am hereby asking for urgent intervention by our leaders. We pride ourselves as being “simple” and “loving” people, yet here we are faced with a situation in which murder seems to have become second nature to us. Too many are in their graves because of simple misunderstandings, ignorance,…
Read MoreDiwali – triumph of light over darkness
Festivals contribute to the cultural tapestry of all countries. Each festival brings with it a unique blend of customs and traditions and acts as a harbinger of good-will, peace and fraternity. Centuries ago, Diwali was celebrated in the confines of the logies (primitive homes) in villages. Our forebears, the indentured immigrants strove to maintain their culture and religion with whatever limited facilities were available in those times. Diyas were lovingly crafted out of mud and the radiance given off from these little lights served as a beacon of hope to…
Read MoreAPNU/AFC hopeless in the midst of sufferings of flood-affected communities
Dear Editor, Just as the residents and farmers of Dantzig-Columbia in Region 5 had feared, the high tides of this past week have brought another round of flooding and more destruction of crops and loss of livestock. This is the latest round of flooding, which has become a factor of life for over a year now. Every high tide now brings new flooding and more agony for farmers and residents living between the Mahaica and Mahaicony rivers in an area stretching from Dantzig to Fairfield. Even as the threats intensify…
Read MoreDeepavali: Awakening of the inner light
By Pandit Dhanesh Prashad Deepavali or Diwali is the biggest and the brightest of all Hindu festivals. It is the festival of lights: deep means “light” and avali “a row” to become “a row of lights.” There are many stories surrounding the origin if Diwali. The most famous would be the one that commemorates the return of Lord Rama (along with Ma Sita and Lakshman) from his 14-year-long exile and vanquishing the demon-king Ravana. In joyous celebration of the return of their king, the people of Ayodhya, the capital of…
Read MoreGrove man charged for causing pedestrian’s death
A driver who allegedly caused the death of a pedestrian was on Wednesday arraigned and released on G$500,000 bail at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Thirty-one-year-old Denesh Dhanraj of Grove, East Bank Demerara, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and denied the charge which stated that on May 25, 2019, at Avenue of the Republic, Georgetown, he drove motor car PTT 4183 in a manner dangerous to the public thereby causing the death of Barian Hall, a pedestrian. Police Prosecutor Neville Jeffers informed the court that on May 25, Dhanraj was…
Read MoreRice farmer charged for murdering and burying teen in shallow grave
Rice farmer Jairam Sieupersaud of Parfait Harmonie, West Bank Demerara, was on Wednesday charged with the murder of 14-year-old Christopher Basdeo. He appeared at the Wales Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Zamilla Ally-Seepaul and was not required to plead to the indictable charge which read that between October 16 and 25 he murdered Basdeo at Parfait Harmonie. He was remanded to prison until December 12, when he will make his next court appearance. The 42-year-old confessed to murdering Basdeo and burying his body in a shallow grave. The teen was reported…
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