Soogarie Jattan stands in front of her home on Sanford Street; the temple which she frequents is in the background.

Photos: Adrian Boodan

BY ADRIAN BOODAN

Her neighbours describe Soogarie Jattan as a woman who is “truly blessed by the Lord.” She may well be: she’s quite active in her garden, planting corn and peas, and moves around with the agility of someone half her age.

Although Jattan’s hearing is somewhat diminished and you need to talk hard to get the message across to her, she does not suffer with diabetes, cardiac problems, bad eyesight, osteoporosis or any crippling disease.

Not bad for someone who is between the ages of 103-105.

When the Guardian visited her home at Sanford Street, California, central Trinidad, last Tuesday, she was resting comfortably, wearing an orange house dress and chatting with her full-time nursemaid, May Mohammed.

Jattan, who represents a living element of T&T history, raised her fragile frame — just taller than four feet — with hands clasped in a symbolic position used in prayer.

By no means camera-shy, she quickly disappeared into a room and returned moments later, completely changed.

Wearing a lovely green dress, complete with a gossamer ohrni covering her head, she posed in front of her beautiful garden. Jattan smiled as she proudly displayed her plants, including lovely flowers splattered with raindrops from an earlier shower.

She arrived as a child in 1908 with her parents, who came here as indentured labourers from Uttar Pradesh, India, aboard the sailing vessel Indus. She was married off at the age of 10, as was the norm in those days — and still is in the land of her birth, where girls are wedded at the onset of puberty.

Jattan does not remember anything about the trip aboard the boat from India, but remembers a life filled with changes as she evolved from one stage to the next.

She had wanted to return to India for a visit, but did not go. She said she remembered living in Vistabella and Marabella in South Trinidad earlier in her life.

Her life was filled with work on the sugar cane estates. She struggled like many of the indentured to ensure her children were educated so they would not have to follow the same path of their parents.

Those parents had to labour on the estates of the Tate and Lyle sugar company, which later became Caroni (1975) Ltd.

Her husband, Jattan, died “long time ago” while in his 60s. Two of her six children have also died.

Sonny Boy, Dhanraj, Annadai and Kissoon are her surviving children. Jattan has a number of grandchildren but cannot remember how many, nor their names.

She lives in a humble home encircled by a picket fence, with her son Dhanraj, daughter-in law, and her full-time nurse.

Mohammed said Jattan could still wash her own clothes if she wanted to and moves around quite actively.

She is a devout Hindu who lives a stone’s throw from the temple which she frequents.

Jattan does not know why the Lord has blessed her with such a long and healthy life.

Her nursemaid believes it’s her devotion to God and the vegetarian diet she eats. Her son, Kissoon, who is a medical doctor, was expected to return from Canada last week to celebrate her birthday in the temple on the afternoon of Indian Arrival Day.

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