2014-NOV-17-1025Hrs
Enclosed is a photo of my dear friend ,darnet ,in 1974 @ECIAF
Also from l to r: moi..Ivan Ragoonanan (when I had hair),Mohammed aka Khaki Jesus from Grande(Braf (Martin)) knew him,always happy...darnet,and Winston Davis from St Vincent.
We were not close in mausica,but I always remembered him as being competent playing the cuatro but especially when he sang"an wen ah put mi Han on Lulu Gaul an Lulu feint away, Doh feint away ,Lulu doh feint away,o lawd mi yellow Gaul ,doh feint away".I believe that this folk song was Darnet's signature,made for him.
But in ECIAF,we struck up a lasting friendship.we visited his Gov't home in Santa Cruz many times admiring how he had developed extra land around his dwelling into a commercial vegetable garden of Eden.Cherry was there & we always had a meal &@Xmas ,parang for so.we used to travel in Darnet's beat up,rickety jalopy..can't remembers the model,either a Zephyr or Cortina,but the bonnet used to pop up now an then on the highways &byways.Darnet would nonchalantly &calmly pull aside & the person in the front outside passenger seat would rush out &slam down the bonnet a few times until it stayed put.
Another time circa 1974 Darnet and I went to a dilipated & deserted Mausica Teacher's College.The Villa was a complete mess with rats &cockroaches suddenly scampering under garbage @our approach.Fair Haven did not fare better and we had to beat a hasty retreat to escape the stench of decomposing rodents,&God knows what else,maybe larger mammals?But ,like the rose that survived Katrina,and like the ancient Bristlecone pine,there were two Croton plants right there outside the Haven's entrance.remember these plants from way back when @initation time we had the memorable Garden parties.we dressed in our jackets&ties,with well polished black shoes for this auspicious occasion,only to be greeted by the 2nd yrs presenting us with forks &spades to prepare the muddy,sticky ,clayey soil.need I mention that we were a sorry bunch of mud colored Gardeners.
Next we proceeded to Mayfair Mansion expecting a disaster.Disaster it was indeed just like the 2 aforementioned residences..maybe worst...but we entered nevertheless as Darnet wanted to see Beck's room,&also Selwyn Thompson's, Roy Orr's &his.we separated for a while when suddenly I heard Darnet's excitedly shout out:'Black Belt(my name inEciaf)come & see this"
I hastened my steps,but cautiously,knowing the situation that we encountered before,expecting something filthy or nasty.indeed the common room was a disaster,but Darnet pointed @a corner ,& there ,partly covered with what seemed like tattered ,raggedy bed sheets ,was a treasure trove of red and white,with mausica emblems...would you believe plates ,saucers & teacups!
Like desperate thieves we hurriedly gathered as much as we could safely carry &stowed them in Darnet's car trunk.Of the rest that we left behind,most were broken.we shared our spoils with a couple of our mausica buddies back @ ECIAF.Some of the plates seemed to have hardened remains of various sauces,refused over time ,even by vermin.
As you can imagine,Darnet was friendly,fun to be with,had a flair for music and always the conscientious & helpful individual.i lost touch with him as my life became hectic &selfish,pursuing my dreams of amateur golfing & long distance running.Needless to say Darnet made my life all the richer.Thanks Darnet for everything....'may God bless you &yours forevermore'.
Ps Martin Braf Braithewaite was my room-mate in our 2nd yr (Fair Haven) & Selwyn Thompson my best buddy @Mausica.I used to take sello & Balfour to the race track in Santa Rosa & @ the Queen's Park Savannah in POS to make little wagers .we betted on favorites an won most of the times even though the winnings were meager.balfour and I relished hops bread And black pudding sold on the grounds,done over a Coal-pot.i took Selwyn to my home in Boissiere village,Maraval where once we dined on goat's blood pudding and goat's testicles.Anyone had this?To those who are interested I'll be sending pics of my garden in Stamford CT take care all & God bless us forevermore......
Ivan Benjamin Franklyn Ragoonanan(1966-1968)
