Randall Butisingh- born Dec 1, 1912
“One of the worlds’ oldest BLOGGERS at 95 years”
Randall Butisingh was born in British Guiana (now Guyana), on December 1, 1912. He grew up in Buxton, East Coast Demerara, where he received his primary education. In 1925, he qualified and was the first runner-up for the first Buxton Scholarship. In 1927, he passed the School Leaving Examination and became a Pupil Teacher at the age of 15. This was the start of a 45 year-long career, with a few short breaks, in which he served as a Class II Certified and Trained Teacher until his retirement in January,1972. During his career, he taught mainly in Buxton, with short assignments in Lusignan, Nonpariel, Ann’s Grove and Mon Repos. According to him his best teaching experience was with head teacher Frank H.V. Russell who was supportive of his suggestions to put more importance in activities such as arts and crafts, gardening, and physical education as the majority of the children only attended primary school. He was able to organize exhibitions in these areas at school fairs and the annual May festivals.
Around 1930, he became a member of the Buxton Literary Institute where he read papers, participated in discussions and debates, and served as a delegate to the Plaisance Literary Institute.
In 1940, he was appointed Lay Reader of St. Augustine’s Church by Canon William Granville Burgan, where he served for 18 years performing such functions as reading the lessons, preaching at evensong, burying the dead and holding cottage meetings. He was also treasurer for the Church.
In 1958, he was appointed Senior Assistant of the Lusignan Government School, where later, he became the acting Head-Teacher during the 1962 disturbances. At Lusignan, he served as Chairman for the Adult Education and Study Groups, Chairman of the Community Centre and part time Welfare Officer, during which time youths from Buxton met for sports and rallies at the Community Centre. At Lusignan School, he regularly organized fairs, concerts and parent-teacher meetings. Also working with the staff, he helped to write a textbook for the middle division, and to do a school magazine.
His literary accomplishments include:
* Three books of poems entitled Loves Light, Wild Flowers and Loves Balm which was his whole collection.
* A book of Thoughts entitled “Flashes of Light”
* A series of articles and letters to the press dealing with topics on education, morality and other issues.
* A paper on “Hindi in Guyana.”
* A thesis on ‘The role of the School in the Estate Community.”
* A translation of a biography of Mahatma Gandhi - from Hindi to English.
* An article in Hindi, jointly written with J.S. Roopchand and published in “Gagan Anchal” a prestigious Indian magazine.
He was awarded a Poet of Merit Certificate by the American Poetry Association.IN 1976, He became a member of the Guyana Hindi Prachar Sabha, an organisation which sought to propagate Hindi in Guyana. He was the organization’s Hindi correspondent and editor of its Journal, “GYANDA.”
Now in the evening of his years, his thirst for knowledge and service has not diminished. Among the areas of his interest are; Comparative Religion, Eastern Philosophy, the Computer, and teaching Hindi. In his late 70’s he learnt to read the Arabic script and is able to read from th Holy Quran. He can also recite a few of the Suras from memory. He can also read Urdu, a sister language of Hindi, written in the Persian script to a fair extent. At age 89, he began learning to play the Recorder and according to him has acquired some degree of proficiency. He also practices on the keyboard. In this, his 95th year, he is studying Spanish.
Currently, he is working on documenting his life story ‘My Story’ which hopefully, will be of historic interest when completed, as it dates back to 1914, the beginning of World War I.
He will be 95 on December 1st,2007 but he does his own typing for this blog and other works. He said in one of his writings: ”Gold and silver have I none but such as I have, give I unto thee. If my messages can touch only one heart, I know I have not lived in vain”.
E-mail address: randallbutisingh@hotmail.com
November 25, 2007 at 10:13 am
Hi
Am from Guyana originally and will like to know when your book will be finished, I remember hearing about you since I was in Guyana and perhaps you have also taught me at Mon Repos school.
All the best
January 20, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2008 10:33:51 -0800
From: avinmohabir@yahoo.ca
Subject: RE:Web
To: randallbutisingh@hotmail.com
Dear Mr.Butisingh,
I looked at your web site and am impressed that a man of your age can still find time for poetry and correspondence. To me that is intellectual fulfilment and no doubt you must have been in the educational system in Guyana. In some respects you reminded me of my Head Master Mr.J.R.Latchmansingh at Albion C M School.
I address you as Mister because I am your junior and from the old school where we show respect to our seniors. Yes, as a parent I am proud of my daughter Nalini. It is not academic achivement that makes me proud, but her devotion to the simple human being. She worked with battered women,homeless men and women, street tugs,indigenous people in Canada and the US,prisoners and refugees.She has a feeling for humanity. You probably do not know that she spent a year working in South Africa. She visited Malawi,Zimbabwae,Swaziland,Lesoto and Mozambique. She was awarded a Fellowship by the Government of India in 2007. During her research in 2007 she visited many villages and towns in Utter Pradesh,Rajasthan,Bihar,Weat Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Chennai in Madras. Last year she was awarded a scholarship to the University of Leedsto pursue her PhD. Presently she is in India on a conference and I am sure you will hear from her on her return to Leeds.
She is interested in stories from people like you. Very few seniors can remember details but your knowledge of the early days in Guyana can help her to finally put things into perspective for the benefit of those interested in history.
Since you have a lot of interest in poetry here is one you will find inspirational:-
Give me the supreme courage of love,this is my prayer,the courage to speak,to do,to suffer at thy will,to leave all things or to be left alone.
Give me the supreme faith of love,this is my prayer,the faith of the life of death,of the victory in defeat,of the power hidden in the frailness of beauty,of the dignity of pain that accepts hurt,but disdains to return it.
Sincerely,
Avin Mohabir
January 20, 2008 at 11:35 pm
From: Violet.Chowbay@montgomerycollege.edu
To: randallbutisingh@hotmail.com
Dear Mr. Butisingh,
My brother, Compton, just forwarded to me your website and felt compelled to write to you because my emotions got the better of me when I read your poems. Words cannot explain the pride I fell as I read your writings. It gives me enormous pride to be a Guyanese and an honor to be able to say that I know you.
You may not know me, but we lived in Buxton and then in Courbane Park. I know Joan because we went to Annandale High School – she was in the same class with my brother Frankie. My father’s name is Dan. I remembered that my grandmother always referred to you as “Teacher Randall.” It is quite a blessing to be able to communicate with you and I hope that you would write me back.
Take care and I am looking forward to hearing from you. Give my regards to Joan.
Sincerely,
Violet Chowbay
January 21, 2008 at 1:18 am
From: Randall Butisingh (randallbutisingh@hotmail.com)
Sent: Mon 1/21/08 12:49 AM
To: Avin Mohabir (avinmohabir@yahoo.ca); cybryan@hotmail.com
Dear Avin,
Thanks for your kind assessment of my weblog and for apprising me of the activities of Nalini in many countries of the world. That kind of work takes courage, commitment and dedication. I am happy that she made my acquaintance and I will follow her career as long as I live. As I mentioned to you before, I will do my best to give her, as much as I can, the information she needed.
I heard of Headmaster Latchmansingh. He had one of the best schools in Guyana, but I cannot be ranked in the same category. He was outstanding. I am however trying to make up in the winter of my years, for the many lapses I have made in in the other seasons of my years. I trust Providence will provide me with the strength, wisdom and love to continue to the end.
Yours sincerely,
Randall.
January 23, 2008 at 6:56 am
Subject: Hello
Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2008 13:21:26 -0500
From: mjagarna@scripps.edu
To: randallbutisingh@hotmail.com
Hi Uncle,
I just finished reading your entire weblog. It certainly has quite a large amount of interesting information.
I loved your Thoughts of the Day!
Hope all is well and you are keeping warm.
Love,
Maggie
March 8, 2008 at 11:58 pm
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2008 02:39:27 -0800
From: tiwaribrahmin@yahoo.com
Subject: Maha Shiva Ratri Greetings from India.
To: tiwaribrahmin@hotmail.com
Respected Sir,
Saadar Namaskaar!
My best regards to you!
May Lord Shiva shower His choicest blessings on you for peace, progress and prosperity in your daily life. May happiness and peace surround you with His (Lord Shiva’s) eternal love and strength. Wishing you & esteemed members of your family a very Happy Maha Shiva Ratri today.
With warmest regards,
Yours affectionately,
A. K. Tiwari.
The line separating good and evil passes neither between states nor between classes ….. but through the middle of every human heart. — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.
March 9, 2008 at 11:58 pm
Randall Butisingh wrote:
Hi Brian,
Glad to know you are visiting the different places in South Africa and accumulating a richness of experience which will be brought to bear in your task ahead. Fortunately you have a partner who is willing to go with you all the way. Wherever you go on this planet you will encounter evil. That is the negative which makes the positive good, done by the great ones, shine so brightly, even as the stars shine brightest in the darkest night. There would have been no great deeds done and no Nobel Peace Prize winners had there not been the presence of evil. For the enlightened, they find happiness and peace not in complacency or neutrality, but in the words of the Saint who puts it thus:
Teach me dear Lord to serve Thee as Thou deservest,
To give and not to count the cost,
To fight and not to heed the wounds,
To toil and not to ask for rest,
To labour and not to seek for any reward
save that of knowing that I do Thy Will.
In Him who took our sins upon Himself.
Randall
March 10, 2008 at 12:00 am
Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2008 09:41:48 -0700
From: bekonkol@yahoo.com
Subject: RE: South Africa - February, 2008
To: randallbutisingh@hotmail.com
Randall:
Thank you for the amazing words of wisdom. All I can say is that, they give me pause, and they allow me to rethink all that is taking place around me.
Yes, we have certainly had some fun travels as of late. Our visit to Johannesburg was really great, for we got to see places that we had read about for so long. And, this next week we will be taking another long work-related road trip, as we travel from here to Port Elizabeth, then to Cape Town, then to Kimberly, then back here to Pietermaritzburg. We’ll be in Cape Town over Easter weekend, so that will be quite a bit of fun. I’ve heard it’s an amazing city, so Kristen and I are both real excited.
I will be sending out one of my periodic newsletters soon, so as usual, I will look forward to your response. It is one that I have been thinking about for a while.
With peace and love,
Brian
March 27, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Dear Mr.Butisingh,
I found your blog today and have been reading it for the past 2 hours. I love your writings, I love your messages and toughts. I love what you wrote about the Holy Quran “The true message, like all good poetry, is that which is felt but cannot be written; and it needs not scholarship but the faith and humility of the listener to get the message”.
May God keep you in good health, so that you can continue sending messages and thoughts because I only just found your blog.
Khairun Nisa
March 28, 2008 at 2:37 am
March 27,2008.
Dear Khairun,’
I was happy to know that you visited my Blog and was appreciative of what you discovered there. As you may have discovered also, I am not a professed Muslim. I was raised as a Christian from birth by Hindu parents and grew up in the Christian Church, in a village which was predominantly Afro-Guyanese. But eventually I separated from the church as I saw it as exclusive and divisive and I wanted to be involved in all mankind. However I still look to Hazrat Isa as my role model. I am at present living in the home of my son-in-law and daughter who are Muslims. There I learnt to read the Holy Qur’an in the Arabic script and have memorised some of the shorter Suras, including Al Fatiha. You may also have discovered that I am interested in Comparative Religion and Philosophy and have done studies in them.
I am glad to know that your son is accomplished in the recital of the Holy Qur’an. I only trust that he has not been brainwashed by the bigots who have misinterpreted Jihad and will want to throw away his young life, but as his name Hafiz connotes, protect it and use it for the protection of others. I am sorry that this illegal war which most people did not want is claiming the lives of thousands of innocent lives and have brought untold suffering to many. It is well that you have found a haven in Canada. I have some friends in Toronto with whom I keep in touch. Now that I know you, I trust that we too will become friends. Allah has made us all of the same clay, male and female, all the various ethnic groups and want us all to unite as one family. Only in Unity, not Division can there be Peace on Earth.
I thank you again for visiting my weblog and for your favourable comment. I am happy to know that I am providing food for thought to so many who choose to read my opinion on various topics. I sincerely welcome you and will be happy to hear from you again.
Salaam,
Randall.
March 30, 2008 at 3:34 am
Dear Mr. Butisingh,
Thank you for this lovely reply and for sharing your religious background. I showed the reply to my son. He would like to know what motivated you to memorize a few surahs from the Quran.
May God keep you safe always.
Khairun Nisa
March 30, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Dear Hhairun
Tell your son that I believe in the validity of, not only the people of the Book, but of other religions that are striving to reach God by their own paths. I believe there is the fine thread of truth woven into the fabric of every religion which only the discerning few can find. I have found that thread of truth in the religion of Islam by association, by reading the Qur’an and the Hadith. I like the beautiful cadence of the Suras and also the elegant caligraphy of the script. I make it a point to memorise inspirational passages, not only from the Qur’an, but from other holy writings.
April 2, 2008 at 3:03 am
Mr Butisingh, Thanks for your reply
May 8, 2008 at 2:06 am
Date: Wed, 7 May 2008 11:28:44 -0700
From: budgenuk@yahoo.com
Subject: Indo-Guyanese History and culture
To: randallbutisingh@hotmail.com
Hello Randall
I have recently came across your site and am very impressed, it is a well put together and wonderful site.
I am also amazed that at 96 you are so well connected on the internet, it is great that you are sharing your experiences with others.
I am the secretary of the Guyana Genealogical Society and also help to moderate two Guyanese genealogical groups online - Bhatchaman and Guyanese genealogy.
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nyggbs/index.htm
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bhatchaman
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/guyanese_genealogy
Many there will be interested in reading about your experiences.
I myself am a historical researcher and trainee teacher, i noticed you have listed some Youtube pages your site, you may be interested in visiting my channel there - “Coolymic”.
http://www.youtube.com/user/coolymic
I am born and raised in England of an Indo-Guyanese father and an Irish mother and am very proud of my heritage and roots, i like to share my historical knowledge with others so regularly post videos on Guyana or it’s history, likewise also on Ireland and a few other subjects such as Country music which i think we may both share an interest, re : Loretta Lynn.
Please feel free to join any of the above groups if you wish or to get in touch.
Keep up the great work !
Regards
Jon
May 16, 2008 at 6:15 am
Randall Butisingh wrote:
Hi Jon,
Thanks for visiting my Weblog and for your kind comments. I commend you for the work you are doing. I am happy that at this time I am able to share my experiences with the younger generation. If I can influence them in anyway positively, I will feel rewarded.
Please continue to visit. I was glad to hear from you. I am enjoying your videos.
Thanks again.
With all good wishes,
Randall.
May 16, 2008 at 6:16 am
Date: Thu, 15 May 2008 17:49:51 -0700
From: budgenuk@yahoo.com
Subject: RE: Indo-Guyanese History and culture
To: randallbutisingh@hotmail.com
Hello Randall
Your welcome.
I find your blog a very interesting read and your site excellent.
I will continue to visit and to tell others of such a wondeful site.
Thank you for visiting my videos too, i have just added three new ones you may find interesting :
http://www.youtube.com/user/coolymic
I will be tied up for a few days with College assignments but i will be back online later next week.
I will catch up with some reading of your blog then.
Best regards
Jon
May 16, 2008 at 11:36 pm
like colombus on his maiden voyage i discovered this site a few minutes ago and will be bookmarking it and checking it out from time to time
by the way are you still in Guyana?
happy friday and enjoy the weekend ahead
May 17, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Dear Me, please reveal your identity more clearly. I most heartily welcome you to my blog and would like to know about you. I am not in Guyana now. I am posting from Florida in the U.S. and am thrilled when someone who knows me shows up. I value your contribution and am looking forward to getting more from you. Enjoy each day; it is a gift from your Creator.