Georgetown: Although several years have passed Tilak Rambarran also known as Shyam of Grove, East Bank Demerara, still longs to know a little bit more about his biological father. You see his father had some years ago abandoned him, his mother and two siblings without any explanation.
Shyam, now 55 years old, revealed that his desire to find his father is not to gain anything material but rather to find closure. He explained that he was just two years old when his father David Odhoo Rambarran left for England around 1959 or 1960. His intent at that time was to gain better employment in order to care for his wife who he had legally wed a few years prior and his growing family. By this time his wife, Shanti Rambarran had given birth to another child and was pregnant with a third. She was completely dependent on her husband.
Before leaving these shores Mr. Rambarran worked at the Diamond Sugar Estate but was quickly able to register at the Wandsworth Technical College in London where he undertook the Motor Vehicle Technicians Works course. He passed the course with credit and was certified by the City and Guilds of London Institute.
For at least 10 years after his departure, Mr. Rambarran remained faithful to his growing family. However, the telephone calls and the financial support slowly started to dwindle leaving his wife to somewhat struggle to maintain their children. Eventually there were no telephone calls and the monetary support came to a complete halt.
Reports soon started reaching Mrs. Rambarran that her husband had moved on with his life with one of his friends’ sister. Not willing to digest the rumours without established facts, in 1969, she was able to secure a visa and travelled to England with a relative in search of her now estranged spouse. She was able to find his address and was greeted by a flabbergasted Mr. Rambarran when she knocked on his door. He however quickly sent her away and promised to meet with her on the following day. That day was not to be, as the man not only never called but was never seen at the address again.
According to Shyam there are reports that his father since left for Holland as he had married a 22-year-old Dutch woman from Holland named Maaike Willeboordse. The two, she a typist and he a motor mechanic, tied the knot on July 22, 1966, according to a certified copy of an entry of marriage given at the general register office of London. “We have heard that he was seen in Canada, he was seen in Holland but we have not heard from nor seen him since.”
Shyam revealed that despite his father had abandoned his wife and children, his family remained close to them. He said that his mother in an attempt to find her husband stayed on in England hoping that at the least his father would send for his children so that they could have a better life. She was eventually forced to remarry in order to stay legally in England. She died a few years ago without knowing what became of her first husband.
According to Shyam although the memories are not great he would still somehow like to know what became of his father who should be in his 70s if he is still alive. Shyam is said to have a striking resemblance to his father and would like anyone knowing the whereabouts of his father to contact him on telephone numbers 266-2106 or 266-2046.
