Jasmattie Ramkishun was born on February 25, 1930 in the village of Le Ressouvenir, East Coast Demerara (Guyana) and passed away peacefully on May 6, 2017 at the Scarborough Hospital (Toronto) after a brief period of illness.
Her body was cremated at Highlands Hills Memorial Gardens in Gormley following a funeral service at Chapel Ridge Funeral Home in Markham.
In a moving funeral service Jasmattie was eulogized as a selfless, loving, caring and generous individual who never looked for any rewards for what she did. Many families are indebted to her for helping them through their formative years. Some of them, who were there to pay their last respects, confirmed this at the funeral service.
In her lifetime many persons, young or old, who had nowhere to go, found a welcome sanctuary at her home as she and her family opened their doors to them.
Several students from the countryside attending schools in Georgetown or young adults working in the city found a home away from their homes through her generosity. During the racial upheavals in Guyana in the 1960’s she accommodated a family of six until they were able to be settled. When her brother died at a young age she adopted his children and took responsibility for them until they reached adulthood.
Jasmattie was the second in a family of five children. She had three brothers and one sister who all predeceased her.
She got married in May 1947 to Edward Ramkishun and moved to Success, East Coast Demerara where they started their family life. She bore three daughters and was the proud grandmother of seven and great grandmother of one.
She always encouraged her children and grandchildren to pursue higher education. Cognisant of the fact that technological advancements are taking place in the world she advised the young to take advantage of the opportunities available to them that they may be equipped for life's challenges ahead.
Quite an industrious person, Jasmattie started a retail business at home while her husband continued working at the sugar estate until his death in 1980. She was a skillful seamstress and very creative in designing bridal outfits which made her much sought after by would-be brides in her community. And true to her character, she passed on her skills to others.
As a devout Hindu, she relished her moments of prayer and listened to bhajans and watched religious and other Hindi movies. Last February she observed her 87th birthday with a prayer service at home. There was no indication that that would have been her ultimate birth anniversary.
She was a very contented person always grateful for whatever came her way. Prior to her demise she had no major ailments and was thankful to God for being able to live to a ripe old age in relatively good health.
She enjoyed her life and kept in contact with family and friends. She was a keen follower of the Bollywood scene and was not only familiar with the names of the older stars but the current ones as well. More recently she became hooked on to the Indian soap operas and when the bad characters came on she had some choice words to describe them.
She also had a deep interest in world affairs and keenly followed up the US and Canadian political scenes. At election time, she had no reservations in naming her candidates of choice.
At her final farewell, families, friends and relatives expressed thanks for the good companionship she offered and the unconditional love and generosity she shared with them. They also thanked all those who supported them in their time of grief.

Born in Guyana on October 3, 1930, Ganga Persaud lost his mother at a young age which will account for the fact that he developed the strong character he is known to have possessed.
He got married at age 22 and for the next 64 years, he and his wife Aunty Heera/Ruth had a happy, loving relationship along with their son Ramesh and two daughters – Betty and Shanta. Providing and caring for his family was his topmost priority as he guided his children through their school years and unto adult life. Nurturing of his three offsprings continued even beyond their marriages which he looked upon as the occasion to welcome two new "sons" (his sons-in-law) and another "daughter" (his daughter-in-law) into his family.
As the wheel of life continued to inevitably turn, in due course, Persaud found himself once again nurturing and caring for seven grandchildren and later, two great grandchildren. And he did this with the same unreserved dedication and parental affection he showed when raising his own children. He took pains to ensure that these later additions to his lineage were all imbued with the very lofty values which he instilled in their parents when they were growing up.
One of the remarkable leadership qualities of this humble man was his ability to bond his large family together. He was simple but practical in his approach in transmitting to his progeny his firm belief that material possessions were of limited value. This was perhaps in no way more evident than in the fact that he himself wore no gold on his person even though he was a reputable goldsmith by profession.
He bonded with his grand kids through many joyful moments together sharing stories of his life's experiences in laughter and light-heartedness. His love for the game of cricket was prominent among his narratives and according to his grands, "his favourite team was always the side that was winning." They found humour in his zealous movie collection and at the threat that he would use "the steel ruler" on them if anything in his collection went amiss. In this manner, he created such a strong familial bond that his grand children lovingly called their group, "Team Bud", referring to his alias.
More than anything else he cherished the more enduring qualities of unity, love and caring among family members and the wider community. As his grieving wife expressed on his passing, "He was a good man. He was a caring man."
In 1996 Persaud and his wife moved to Canada where they joined their other two children who had migrated earlier.
He and his family were members of the Vedic Mission Scarborough where he attended weekly services.
Before he passed away on April 20, 2017 he held his grandaughter Aartee's hand and uttered the words: "you must all ive a good life". The family is thankful that their patriarch lived a full life and they are resolved to take a page from his book, in the words of Aartee, "to strive to make our lives full of love and care, less about material things and more about making our relationships strong and our moments worth it."

Members of the Indo-Caribbean Golden Age Association (I.C.G.A.A.) joined by the Caribbean community at large celebrated their 25th anniversary on May 7th, 2017. The grand occasion at Sts Peter and Paul Banquet Hall brought together over 450 people. The gathering also celebrated Mother’s Day.
The evening programme began with the singing of the Canadian national anthem. Jennifer Sohan led the song, ‘Heal the World’ which was sung by a choir of children.
The programme reflected upon the 25-year legacy of the I.C.G.A.A., a legacy that has been handed down to the new generation. All of the organization’s accomplishments were featured on a video which showcased events dating back to the Guyana Festivals and the visit of the late Guyanese president Dr. Cheddi Jagan at the York University Auditorium. It included a scene from a play the seniors performed on that occasion to an audience of approximately 800 people.
The performers at the May 7th event were Thulasi Sabesan, Yashoda Harrypaul and Dave and Devin Ramautar from Sangeet Vidyalaya School of Music together with Reshmi Chetram from the Tarana Dance School, Vidya Chatterpaul Shangri-la Academy of Fine Art, and Randy Mahadeo from Triveni Sangam School of Music. Children from the Sri Harinarayan Temple also did an excellent performance.
Others in attendance included former Guyana Consuls General Danny Doobay and Sattie Sawh. Popular musician David Singh and in-house singers entertained the audience in style.
It was a memorable occasion of socializing and meeting new friends.
The dinner menu featured a variety of dishes enjoyed by everyone. Organizers are to be commended for another successful event and it is hoped that seniors will continue to enjoy many more programs sponsored by the I.C.G.A.A.
Congratulations go out to the chair Leila Daljit, president Karma Persaud and the Board for a job well done.

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