Rampersaud – By-Bye died peacefully on January 15, 2011 at the Ajax Hospital in Toronto in the presence of his beloved wife, all his children, many relatives and friends.
Born in Kitty, Georgetown, Guyana on August 28th, 1932 he lived in Toronto for almost 25 years. He was born Seecharan Mohabir and was the son of Pandit Buddy Mohabir of Enmore and Jasoda Mohabir (both deceased) but from an infant he was adopted and nurtured by his Mamoo and Mamie, Lila (Dado) and Kowsilla Persaud.
He was the beloved husband of Oricey (Data) for sixty years, and the father of his cherished children Rabindranauth (Rabbie), Chandra (of Florida), Premnauth (of Texas), Doodnauth (of NJ), Surooj and Ronald (Motie). He is the father-in-law of Jerry, Farouk, and Joy; grandfather of Ravi, Ariana, Amrita, Priya, Omar, Javid, Annika and Ethan; great-grandfather of Marcus and Julian and brother of Mallin (deceased), Lajpat, Deokie (deceased), Veda Nath, Sumatie, and Raymond.
By-Bye will be remembered fondly for his unfailing love and support to his family. The central purpose of his life was dedicated to the unity, health, and well-being of his family and to this end he was immensely successful. He was a remarkably generous, gregarious and hospitable man who loved to share from his table. As a prominent businessman in Stabroek Market, Georgetown, he worked diligently, and dealt fairly with suppliers and customers. He lived well and insisted that life was to be lived in the present; he laughed heartily, but more importantly, he made others laugh … all the time. Above all, this was a very forgiving man; he did not know how to bear a grudge.
By-Bye was a human being who will live forever in the hearts of all those who knew him for he was an industrious, fair, reliable, gentle and kindhearted man. He knew his duty to his family, his friends and associates and he loved fully and was loved unreservedly in return. His cup was always full.
We are confident that his soul is well on its way to Moksha. We miss your loving presence, Dad.
Your loving wife, children and grandchildren.

 

By Rishma Lucknauth
Six years ago a small restaurant opened shop near Weston Road and Finch Avenue where it was surrounded by a sea of other family-based restaurants, many of which were pushing the same fare.
The Caribbean themed eatery featured a simple menu —chow mein, fried rice, delectable meats and veggies and flat breads — hoping to stand out in an area that was chockfull of Caribbean residents and commercial bodies. Competition was tight and turnover high making it the perfect area to test longevity.
Three years later, in 2008, Coconuts Restaurant and Lounge relocated to a larger venue near Keele Street and Steeles Avenue West, sharing a plaza with businesses such as LCBO.
“Weston Road and Finch was a little bit of a challenge due to the size of the establishment,” said owner Kishore Totaram. “Overcrowding was also an issue but that was a good problem to have. This is what motivated me to move to a bigger and more upscale location.”
The new 'Coconuts' boasted “elegance and style with superb hospitality, stylish menu or a sophisticated buffet and awesome entertainment.”
Its bill of fare highlights a fusion of Chinese, West Indian and Caribbean cuisine with all the trimmings. But what may be drawing even more patrons is its lounge and nightclub combination which sets the tone for evening entertainment.
“Our mature people within our community, there is hardly anywhere in our community for them go to out and socialize and to have a nice time, I wanted to change that,” Totaram said. “I wanted to create an atmosphere where families can come and enjoy great music, great dining in a nice, safe, fun, friendly atmosphere.”
But the older crowd isn’t their main point of sale. Coconuts has diverse appeal to younger patrons who are among the restaurant's most frequent patrons. According to Ajay Bulet, president of York University's Guyanese Social Club, it was the choice venue for one of their largest fundraisers for two consecutive years.
“Last year was the first time we [had the fundraiser and] we chose the Herbie Fund,” said Bulet. The Herbie Fund is a Sick Kids Hospital service which provides free medical treatments to children in foreign countries who could not otherwise be treated in their home country. “We're giving them money so they can fly over with their family and the doctor will do [the operation] for free,” said Bulet. The event, which was held on Jan. 16, attracted many families within the community and with their contributions through ticket sales, the club was able to raise $2,500.
York University, which has a large West Indian population, is adjacent to Coconuts and provides a steady stream of clientele to Totaram’s business.
This month, Coconut’s will be hosting monthly free concerts and family-based events. The line-up includes two Valentine's Day weekend events for adults and families on Feb. 11 and Feb 12, a double feature on the weekend of Feb. 19 with headlining musical guests Devindra Pooran and Savitri Persaud and a Mashramani event on February 26 to celebrate Guyana’s Republic anniversary.
“I am rather overwhelmed by the outpour of support from the West Indian community, in particular Guyanese and Trinidadian,” Totaram said.
Coconuts Restaurant has had its serving of ups and downs but Totaram is committed to providing an environment where the young and old can enjoy the benefits of a social establishment that is culturally relevant.

 

By Adit Kumar
Popular Guyanese born poet, Peter Jailall launched his fifth book of poems entitled Sacrifice at a special function held at his home in Mississauga last Saturday. The book traces the journey of East Indians from India to Guyana, then to Canada.
Dr. Abrahim (Ivan) H. Khan, professor at the University of Toronto, described the book in his foreword as “poetry in the service of history, culture and the chronicling the context of character formation. Sacrifice is for many, if not all, a brilliant personal exposition of what we have become as persons and as a people.”
Peter told Indo Caribbean World (ICW) that this book represents “a social and cultural history of a hard working group of people on the move. They work diligently with others to help build countries like Guyana and Canada.” He added, “The East Indians were called 'coolies', a derogatory term pinned on them by the British sugar planters. Unfortunately, the name coolie is still used by others to taunt and provoke.” But Jailall declared he is neither afraid nor ashamed to be called a coolie. In his words “A coolie in Georgetown, Toronto, New York or London is a nation builder.”
Peter said this collection of poems was influenced by the late Chablall Ramcharan, who was sent by the government of Guyana to accompany the last batch of immigrants that opted to return to India in 1955.
The author captures the strong emotions that faced the Indian immigrants when they were offered the chance to return to India in the poem titled "Catching the Last Boat". The realization that Guyana was now home struck them and they were faced with the dilemma of returning “home” to India or staying “home” in Guyana.
Sacrifice costs $15.95 and is available through Peter Jailall at peter.jailall@hotmail.com or through the publisher at www.inourwords.ca

 

Samaj of Markham presented a dance skit capturing the story of India’s triumph in unifying dissenting groups after attaining Independence in 1947.
All the items were presented with high energy reflecting the gaiety of the celebration and were greeted with loud applauses.
Several dignitaries joined the celebration including the Honourable John McCallum, Minister Michael Chan, MPP Gerry Phillips who read a message on behalf of the Premier Dalton McGuinty, India’s Consul General Preeti Saran and Inspector Ricky Veerappan who brought greetings on behalf of York Region Chief of Police Eric Jolliffe.
Premier McGuinty’s message echoed the sentiment of celebrating Ontario's uniqueness and embracing its diversity. It emphasized that the province’s Indo-Canadian community "is a vital part of that cherished diversity, and has done much to enhance the social, cultural and economic life of Ontario.”
Other messages recognized India’s growing influence in the world with MP John McCallum referencing one statistic in which he said that people of Indian origin make up 43% of NASA’s staff. York Region’s Chief of Police in his message paid “tribute to the rich culture, literary heritage and the many contributions of our Indian Community in the shaping of our multicultural mosaic of Canada.” India’s rise as an economic powerhouse was also referenced by other speakers.
The program was emceed by Yatika Kohli of Arya Samaj Markham. Attendees were treated to a sumptuous meal at the end of the show.

 

Jamaican Canadian Association's 12th Annual Boonoonoonos Fundraising Brunch and Special Tribute to Deputy Police Chief Keith Forde (Retired) Sunday February 13, 2011. Hosted by: Marcia Brown (Marcia Brown Productions) and Danae Peart (CHRY). 12:30 pm at the Jamaican Canadian Centre, 995 Arrow Rd. Various Jamaican and Barbadian Cultural Activities including " The JCA Boonoonoonos Idol Competition". Tickets $50/person available by calling the JCA at (416) 746-5772.

 

iDREAM Entertainment is holding a special event to mark Valentine's Day on Saturday, Feb 12, 2011 at the Bombay Grill Restaurant in Markham, featuring live karaoke music, belly dancing and more. Tickets are $25 and include appetizers and a buffet dinner. Call 647-300-3247 or email idreamentertainment2010@gmail.com to reserve your tickets.

 

Sunday February 20, 2-5 pm at Church of the Redeemer, 162 Bloor St. W. Toronto. Join us for a multi-faith retreat. Register:
http://www.ucalgary.ca/oikos/Retreat/Toronto.
2pm-3:15pm: Multi-faith Dialogue on Protecting the Environment: Key Spiritual Resources. Bishop Linda Nicholls, Shaikh Habeeb Alli, Rabbi Roy Tanenbaum will explore the ecological-spiritual resources from Judaism, Islam, and Christianity that support faith communities to protect the environment.
3:30-5pm: Applied Spirituality & Taking Action. Keith Stewart, a contributor to the Green Budget Coalition will examine how we can translate these spiritual resources into effective action on climate change and environmental degradation.
Co-sponsored by the Diocesan Environmental Working Group of the Anglican Diocese of Toronto, the Canadian Council of Imams, the Green Awakening Network and the OIKOS Network at the Faculty of Social Work of the University of Calgary.

 

Pranav Ashram cordially invites you, your family and all devotees to join in prayers and worship on the auspicious occasion of Maha Shiva Ratri Wednesday 2nd March 2011
From 6.00pm to 6.00am 3rd March. All Night Maha Shiva Ratri Puja in traditional Indian system in 4 Praharas:
6.00pm; 9.00pm; 12 midnight; and 3.00am. There will be all night worship with incessant chanting of Maha Mantra, Shiva Stotrams, (Hymns) and Shiva Dhoons and concluding with Arati by all devotees. For info call Ashram: 416-741-4335.
Sew Sankar: 905-794-1717. Homeland : 416-244-4049.