Roopnarine’s body was found on a river bank in Cunupia on Friday evening. Investigators believe he was hijacked by people pretending to be passengers and shot dead. Spent shells were found near to the body.

Police say Roopnarine left his home at Calcutta No 1 at about 1 am. The taxi driver was expected to end working on the route by 5.30 am, when he would return home to take his wife to sell pies.

But he never did and calls to his cell phone were directed to voice mail. A missing person’s report was made at the Freeport Police Station and officers and relatives began searching for Roopnarine.

His body was discovered 5.30 pm on a river bank at Ramlal Trace, Cunjal Road, Cunupia.

Roopnarine was a taxi driver for 20 years. His wife Nandrani, 47, yesterday said he had been robbed at gunpoint before.

“Being a taxi driver is a very risky job and every day my husband leaves the house for work I pray for him,” she said. “He is the breadwinner of our family and the money he makes from working taxi is our main source of income.” The couple have a daughter, Chelsea, five, and son, Vijay, 20.

Nandrani said she had pleaded Roopnarine to stop being a taxi driver.

“Every time he was robbed by bandits he would come home and tell me. I would say, ‘Babe I am afraid, I don’t want you to go back on the road.’ But my husband was a fearless and brave man and wanted to provide for his family.” Nandrani said she feels as if she is in a nightmare from which she would soon wake up.

“I thought somehow, they would have found him alive and not dead. They could have just taken his car and money and just leave him alive, but they killed an innocent man for what, just a few hundred dollars and a car.” Nandrani said her said her husband would pick her up by 5.30 am to take her around to businesses to sell pastries.

“I think that someone may have hired my husband to carry them somewhere which he is accustomed too and they robbed him and killed him. It is really scary how this country is becoming, no one is safe anymore.” She described her husband as hard working, ambitious and loving. Nandrani said their children are having great difficulty coping.

“Their father was their everything.

He was always on the road working taxi from Sunday to Sunday, but he made time to spend with his children.” Up to late yesterday, police continued the search for the taxi driver’s gold Nissan Almera car.

An autopsy is expected to be performed at the Forensic Science Centre, St James tomorrow.

Roopnarine’s murder, the 255th to date, is being investigated by Homicide Region Three officers.

This is a cricketer speaking of a cricket match using such repugnant language to seek to explain what needs to be done.

There is no further explanation of why our cricket team now ranks at the bottom of the standings.

KARAN MAHABIRSINGH Carapichaima

At about 9 am, the girl took a short-cut through a bushy track when she was snatched and thrown into the bush by an assailant.

The girl said the a man forced himself on her and she screamed out. The man then allowed the girl to go and he fled.

The girl ran for help at a neighbour’s house. They contacted the police. Central police held a 19-year-old man at about an hour after the crime was committed.

He is currently being held at the Chaguanas Police Station. WPC Joseph, Vidale and Lewis responded to the call and with the help of residents, they captured the teenager.

The girl was taken for medical treatment. The suspect is expected to be charged and to appear in court tomorrow.

The 29-year-old playmaker has struggled to regain full fitness and form since he suffered a gunshot wound to his leg, near his Petit Valley home, on December 27 2015.

At the time, Cummings was an integral member of North East Stars, as well as the national squad under the guidance of Stephen Hart.

Cummings joined Central FC ahead of the 2016-2017 season but he hardly managed to get an extended run, both at club and national level. He last played for TT during a 2-2 draw, away to Grenada, in a friendly international on April 29.

However, the easy-going midfielder is hopeful that his stint at Petit Valley/Diego Martin United can see him, not only reconnect with his fans in his community, but earn a contract with a Pro League club in the near future.

In a telephone interview yesterday, Cummings noted, “It’s a community team, and the only reason why I had the thought of coming back and play, until the transfer window opens back, (is because) I wanted to spend some time with the family.

“It’s a village thing, so I just decided to spend time with family and still play football,” he continued.

Asked about the response of the community regarding his move, Cummings replied, “That’s my home team, that’s my village team.

(The) boys will always show me that love. I have experiences to share with them.” He went on to add, “Some players, even (if) they are free agents, they wouldn’t give up (better opportunities) to come and play with their village (because of) pride.” About his fitness level, he said, “I feel good.

It’s just to start to get back form.” However, he does not envision himself returning, as a player, to Central FC. “I (have) crossed that bridge,” he admitted. “I don’t want to cross back that road.

I was a little challenge playing with them but that’s how it (goes) in life sometimes. Not everything you (do) get exactly how you want.” With his new chapter, at least at the club level, Cummings hopes that he will still catch the eyes of the national team’s technical staff, headed by coach Dennis Lawrence.

“Nobody (from the TT staff) hasn’t checked me or called,” he admitted, “but everything will fall into place. God is a good God.” Assistant Petit Valley/ Diego Martin United team coach Gordon Pierre, who is also a television football commentator, spoke of the addition of Cummings, as well as ex-Pro League players Samuel Delice, Kadeem Corbin and twins Keion and Keino Goodridge, to the Petit Valley/Diego Martin United squad.

“To have them back home, we’re trying to rebuild the western peninsula. After passing Port of Spain, there is no (top-flight) team representing the west,” Pierre said. “We’re glad to have back our senior players.

We understand the sacrifice they made in terms of giving up their (immediate) chance to be on the national team by coming down (to the Super League level).” Pierre continued, “we want to build back the community as well.

We think that football belongs to the community and we have set ourselves a three-year plan to be playing at the highest level of football in the country.”

“Aside from the obvious relief of surviving an intensive schedule of fulltime work, part time school, grueling deadlines, sleepless nights, and endless caffeine, I also left CAFD feeling more certain about what I wanted to do career-wise,” says Kairon of the direction the program gave him. “If anything, CAFD showed me that it was economically feasible to work full time in fashion.”

Graduating in 2014, he was also the recipient of the 2014 Fashion Management Styling Award based on an outstanding mid-term styling project. Although the recognition by his lecturers and superiors was fulfilling, he says winning the award didn’t “hit” him until several nights after. “If anything, that award served as encouragement – less as a tangible plaque, more as recognition from the same lecturers that I looked up to (and still do) during my tenure at CAFD.”

Ever a student of life, he says in hindsight the experience of the mid-term project process was the most valuable takeaway. “We had to find a magazine, identify its market and its customer, identify fashion trends at that time, forecast for a future season, and then source and produce and entire editorial from photographer, to model, to location, to makeup, to the apparel and accessories,” he describes the project, further commenting that this was the perfect precursor for what he does today on a regular basis.

He was also fortunate enough to secure a job with local boutique Bang Bang in his second year of study as their social media and content creator, which eventually blossomed into him becoming the brand’s Marketing Manager. “I got to conceptualise campaigns, lookbooks, visual window displays, styling … so I had been using a lot of the knowledge gained at CAFD almost immediately. As soon as I learned something new, I applied it to work,” he says, acknowledging that the fundamental basis of his career today was gained at the Academy.

Although he never truly felt the “transition” between CAFD enrollment and post-graduate life because of the constant work he was securing (a large part of which is graphic work and detailing), entering into full-time work upon graduation was even more fulfilling.

However, it was not without its challenges as he points out working while still enrolled at school, and even after as a freshly minted graduate, was sometimes overwhelming. He quips, “I had a task list that would give me two options: either have a complete mental and emotional breakdown or just figure out a way to get it done.”

He even remembers getting to work at 10am, leaving at 3am the next morning, only to be back at 10am the very same day during the opening of a new store. All in all, his juggling of these tasks did not leave him burned out; as he reveals, his personal and professional support systems were always in place, namely some of his CAFD lecturers who would always lend an ear and advise him on his path forward professionally.

“Cut to a couple years later, I decided to focus on my own freelancing work and got the opportunity to handle styling and visuals for Ecliff Elie, content creation for Adornami Caribbean Digital Magazine, campaign styling and visual merchandising for J&K Signature Styles and Hot Select, and graphic art for 212 Location + Blaanix,” he lists off his achievements and work since graduating from the Fashion Management program.

This year, he decided to focus more on content creation, primarily editorial production, where he has worked with some of the most sought after local fashion photographers, stylists, and aestheticians in the industry. “Currently, by weekday I’m the Marketing Officer at 212 Location + Blaanix so I get to conceptualise campaigns, editorials and lookbooks, social media, visual merchandising, events, and styling. By weekend, I’m the Editorial Art Director for ‘Fashion Focus, The Magazine’. Any free time in between is either spent doing freelance graphic work or working on my portfolio.”

He says his greatest success since graduation is the ability to do what he loves daily – and be paid for it. As a creative working in our local fashion industry (which, although on its rise thanks to local institutions such as CAFD, is still underrepresented) he understands his fortune to make a livelihood doing work that others may consider frivolous or unprofitable.

As for future successes, he says his vision changes constantly, but he hopes to one day facilitate his very own think-tank dedicated to fashion retail visual solutions, has his eyes set on a fulltime job at an international magazine, as well as truly travel and experience the wonders of the world. As a visual creator, his inspirations are endless and surround him everyday. Whether it’s books, television series and movies, YouTube and unlimited internet access, or pop culture, his tastes are eclectic and too varied to assign an exact word to it.

You can view more of Kairon’s freelance work on

Instagram: @militantminimalist

Ayurveda (the “knowledge of life”) is a traditional Hindu system of medicine originating from the Vedic culture. The major belief is that the mind, body, soul and environment exists in a balance and once the balance is maintained, the body has the ability to heal itself. This balance can be achieved through a variety of non-toxic therapies like diet, herbal treatment and yogic breathing.

The Ayurvedic approach to hair incorporates topical treatment (herbs and oils), scalp massages, meditative breathing and proper diet to achieve the healthiest most luxurious head of hair you can possibly grow. The practice of Ayurveda is anything but simple, but introducing the use of herbs and oils to your hair care can certainly produce favourable results and best of all, it won’t break the bank.

Diet A poor diet manifests in several ways throughout the body: abnormal weight gain or loss; disease, both acute and chronic; and of course, unhealthy hair. Unhealthy hair is hair that’s breaking, thinning or falling excessively. Dandruff and premature greying and balding may also be symptoms of poor diet.

Environmental Environmental damage to the hair is classified as damage due to processes performed on the hair like chemical treatments or heat damage. It can also be the result of rough handling of the hair using combs and tight hair bands or rubber bands.

Mental Stress or mental imbalances also affect the hair by causing excessive falling of hair, even complete baldness in some areas.

Ayurvedic Herbs There are many herbs used in Ayurvedic hair care and they are readily available in shops that specialise in Indian goods or online.

Henna Henna comes in powder, seed, bark and as an extract in oil. It helps to detoxify the body, improves nail health, and when applied topically to the hair it strengthens the hair by sealing the cuticles and increases the lustre and silkiness of the hair strands.

Fenugreek Fenugreek/methi can be purchased in the form of seeds or powder as well as its leaves. The leaves can be used as a tea to improve digestion and to heal stomach disorders. The powder and seeds can be used infused in oils or as a tea to treat the hair. This herb is an excellent natural moisturiser.

It enables easy detangling of the hair. Massaging the scalp with fenugreek infused oils simulates the follicles and promotes rapid growth.

Amla/amalaki Amla/amalaki/Indian gooseberry is a fruit that literally means “sour”. This can be used as a tea (to drink or be applied topically) or infused in oil. Amla is antioxidant rich and provides excellent digestive support. Other benefits include its ability to balance blood sugar and rejuvenate the liver. Using amla gradually darkens the hair, including greys.

Shikakai Shikakai is known as the hair fruit. This herb is used as an alternative for shampoo. It does not lather like sulphate-based shampoos but it is effective as a gentle cleanser. This herb also balances the pH of the hair and so it seals the cuticle leaving the hair smooth and shiny. It also has astringent properties which promote a healthy scalp.

Other Ayurvedic herbs that are useful in hair care include hibiscus powder, brahmi, cassia obovata and neem, to name a few. A useful practice to incorporate with Ayurvedic herbs is scalp massage.

This can be done with the finger tips or one of the many scalp massagers available on the market.

The massage increases blood flow to the scalp, stimulating the follicles and further promoting hair growth.

The Ayurvedic approach to hair care is a great alternative for people who wish to avoid the excessive use of chemicals and harsh products on the hair and scalp. It is also safe to use on children and the elderly

My whole life was a pleasure.

Honesty, integrity and determination to succeed — these values have served me very well. I was never afraid to make any decision, whether right or wrong.

Very often, however a decision is made it has to be shaped into success. So the determination to succeed is a key factor” — Anthony N Sabga.

If the dream of some young people is to have greater wealth than some people they know, then it’s a wake-up call to start working harder and smarter on their own goals, their own visions, and stop pondering about what is fair and what is not fair.

Instead of being upset and offended by what may seem to be boasting on behalf of the wealthy, it’s time they start examining what’s keeping them back instead of what’s keeping the wealthy ahead. The youths must start looking at what they are doing.

The nation’s schools must use every tool at their disposal to ensure that young people are conditioned at a very early age to contribute positively to society and turn away from a life of crime.

Changing the way that youths have been conditioned to think in this crime-infested world is not easy to do. They are who they are, and conditioning them to think positive and about solutions to difficult problems is not a part of their nature. It’s something that’s difficult to imagine, let alone do.

The key to shifting the youths’ perspective and developing in them the habit of dreaming big involves teaching them the importance of stepping outside themselves and into another persona.

Youths must dare to dream like a world-renowned musician or artist who has an uncanny ability of creating something out of nothing. Youths must dream and think like a professional athlete who has the will to persist and overcome any obstacle standing in their way. Youths must dare to dream like a Noble Prize-winning scientist who meticulously works through big problems in small way. Or youths must be taught to dream like a billionaire entrepreneur who knows no limitations in thought or action.

I am pleading to the youths of this nation to step into any of these people’s shoes and they will immediately gain a different perspective about their lives and the circumstances confronting their reality. They will immediately begin to think and dream bigger, more clearly, creatively and problematically, which will help them break down the walls preventing them from living their dreams.

In order to dream big they must think from the perspective of having no limitations and no fears — as though life is designed to go in their favour, breaking down all walls and obstacles standing in their way, thus releasing the unlimited potential to develop the habit of thinking big, acting big, and doing bigger things than they ever thought were possible.

It’s time to dream big like the Syrian-Lebanese community.

SIMON WRIGHT Chaguanas

Jackson, 24, is an assistant pastry chef at Jaffa at the Oval and recently earned a gold medal for Pastry Chef of the Year at the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s Taste of the Caribbean Culinary Competition in Miami.

She also won a silver team medal as part of the Trinidad and Tobago National Culinary Team 2017.

She was encouraged to enter Making the Cut, the local competition used to chose the national team members, by the pastry chef at Jaffa.

“I didn’t know much about it so I didn’t know it was actually for the National Culinary Team. I just thought it was a one-off competition.

It was only later on I realised what it was about.” Being a member of the National Culinary Team entailed three months of practising and training with the members for long hours.

She thanked the staff at Jaffa for their support when she went to work tired and fell asleep in the back room, for their encouragement when her confidence was low, their faith in her, and for allowing her to practice in the restaurant’s kitchen.

Jackson said the team had a lot of challenges but they overcame them together as they pushed each other to do more, shared techniques and tips, and helped each other grow as chefs and as people. Most importantly, she learned how to improvise recipes.

“That was so strange to me because every single time I had to make something I have had exactly what I needed.

I had to learn to do things by taste to get exactly what you want. That was something I had to break out from gradually over the weeks.” “One thing the chef said that stuck with me was that the competition was called Taste of the Caribbean, not Looks of the Caribbean, so we had to make sure it tasted really good. A lot of time was spent working on the flavours and getting that right balance.” Jackson achieved that balance with her dish: A Trinidad chocolate bar, Trinidad chocolate biscuit with toasted hazelnuts, chocolate cremeux with Trinidad chocolate orange and Angostura seven- year rum, cassava pone mousse, spiced ginger and orange gelee, a peppered coral tuille and a lime sauce.

She said after her competition, she did not think she would get gold as several things went wrong and the plate she ended up preparing was not the plate she planned to create.

One of biggest challenges on the day was that she could not taste anything as she had taken medication that affected her taste buds. Additionally, she was unable to see properly because her glasses had broken, and she was momentarily distracted by a judge resulting in her cutting her chocolate bars to the wrong size.

“Murphy’s Law was in full effect and the other chefs’ plates looked really, really good. Even after, when I spoke to the judges and they told me they loved how I worked the floor – confidently, clean, organised – I thought they were just telling me that so I wouldn’t feel bad.” And so, on the day of the results she was anxious. She said she could not breathe and was hyperventilating.

It was so bad that she had to borrow an inhaler to help with her asthma.

Her hands were also shaking badly and when she tried drinking water, she choked on it.

When it was announced that she had won gold, she said she was so happy she started to cry. In fact, she was so ecstatic that she hugged everyone on the stage…

twice.

Despite all the hiccups, Jackson said she would definitely return to the competition next year to go after the Pastry Chef of the Year title.

Speaking to Sunday Newsday after the funeral for Videsh at his home, yesterday, Morris-Julien said counsellors from the Mediation Services will visit the closeknit community from tomorrow to help residents heal and move on with their lives .

“That whole street is devastated .

They all love that boy. So, we (Arima Borough Council) are asking them to reach out to the extended family also,” she said .

Morris-Julien said the council also intends to embark on a programme titled, Our Brother’s Keeper, encouraging residents to look out for one-another .

“We just have to hold one-another tighter,” she said .

“For example, somebody saw these people driving out Ms Rose’s (Hafeeza Mohammed’s) car. But we are not always observant .

We are buried in our cellphones .

We need to start back looking out for one another .

“We are trying to develop something for Arima, something that we could tap in and check on our trusted circle.” She said Ajim Baksh Trace was a stone’s throw away from her home .

“I am familiar with everybody there. I was familiar with Videsh and his bike up and down, always very pleasant.” Morris-Julien said residents were interested in naming a park in the area after Videsh .

“There is a park right at the end that the residents want to name after him,” she said .

“So, the council will be looking into that because somebody sealed off the park. We don’t know why. We have to find out about that.” Morris-Julien said greater attempts also were being made to empower women .

“We had a self-defence course that ran for six weeks in Arima and everybody liked and shared it but very few people came out .

We really want to bring it back and and encourage all women,” she said, alluding specifically to Mohammed .

Saying she was in a highly- emotional state at the funeral, Morris-Julien told Sunday Newsday she was deeply concerned for her own children .

“I have every young children and I am worried even leaving them with my mother, even me if somebody is determined. If somebody could watch a 13-yearold boy and kill him, then they don’t care. So, we have to go back to the drawing board on that one.” Videsh would have been 13 in December

Consider what the St Michael’s Home for Boys is intended to be.

It has been in operation for more than 100 years. It is supposed to be a rehabilitation and correction centre for boys between the ages of 10 and 18. Some of them have been placed in the home for just being uncontrollable or badly-behaved while more serious offences such as murder and larceny have been the entry tickets for others.

The compound is supposed to be self-contained, with open spaces and classrooms for its occupants.

They are supposed to be exposed to basic educational tools, and the fundamentals of a trade. The home is supposed to manned by staff skilled in educating, counselling, and in times when their charges are unruly, containing them. A security detail and security measures are supposed to be in place to guard against escape or boys turning on one another or even harming themselves.

But Sunday Newsday found these ideals for the home not to be the case. Reports of students escaping the compound abound, even up to recently when 11 of them were able to break out of detention.

Many of the youths have said they were running away from physical abuse or worse. It was even reported that a youth died in the home, while horse-playing with another.

When Sunday Newsday gained access beyond the gates of St Michael’s, the compound was found to be neglected, dilapidated and filthy.

The youthful charges were, for the most part, uncared for, and when this was not the case, wards inside the home complained of abuse and other ill-treatment. Concerned staff and relatives of the boys are now calling for a drastic change in the management saying it is becoming increasingly apparent that this home, which is expected to rehabilitate the boys, is now doing more harm than good.

“The home needs less jobs for people and more programmes for the kids,” said one social worker assigned to the school. “We have a real opportunity to change the lives of these youths, and I feel that we are squandering it.” LIFE BEHIND THE GATES People pass the tall fence and locked gates of the home, located on Western Main Road in Diego Martin, daily. A quick glance gives the casual onlooker the impression that the boys are safe and are in capable hands; but the picture changes, and is even shattered as one gets past the gates.

From the time one enters the home, there is a sense of neglect and apathy. Young, barefooted boys with nothing to do, meander along the perimeter of the fence. Some of them did not even have clothes on their backs. A 20-foot-fence surrounds the home, and is guarded by a few stern looking security officers, but other than that, there is little to no visible security. Aside from the security at the front gate, only one other guard in uniform was seen. The rest of the people at the home were staff members. Sunday Newsday counted six active staff on the compound at the time, three of whom were women. The women were stationed outside in the common area while the men were placed in a section of the home, called the rehabilitation centre.

While there are several classrooms, none are operational. Sunday Newsday was told that students there have a woodworking room, a mechanic shop, a class where they could learn masonry, and other classes. There is even a primary school. However, none of these classrooms were in use because neither the students nor the contracted teachers are given the encouragement to attend. Living and sleeping areas in the common section resembles more a concentration camp than a living area for teenaged boys. Walls were covered with filth and gang signs, and the floors were covered with wet clothes and random trash. Even the fence which was designed to keep the boys inside the home is falling apart.

There are sections where the barbed wire intended to secure the compound was pulled down.

At other sections, there are pieces of cloth covering the barbed wire.

Sunday Newsday was told that these sections are where the boys escape from. After they get over the fence, they simply have to walk down a river to the main road, and they are free to go wherever they want. If it is discovered that 24 hours have passed and one of the boys is missing, it would be logged, and if he remains missing for another 24 hours, the staff will notify the police, and the child’s parents.

Supervisors who are charged with looking after the boys confine themselves to an office located to the back of the compound.

The youths are usually left on their own. A staff member, who worked at the home for 13 years, said she should not be expected to follow the children around to make sure they do not escape.

“What are the security guards there for?” said the supervisor.

“What am I supposed to do? Lock up my office and run around, watching these children?” THE REHABILITATION CENTRE The rehabilitation centre is partitioned by a 20-foot-tall wire fence. The building itself is divided into seven cells meant to accommodate a maximum of 14 boys.

Sunday Newsday was told the facility had been occupied by up to 31 boys at one point.

The centre is in effect a remand yard for boys under the age of 18.

Most have been charged with serious crimes, but others come from the common area. The youths from the common area, who are usually taken to the home for being unruly, mix with more serious offenders with little to no supervision, and no extra-curricular activities.

That many boys in one cramped space holds the potential for confrontation.

Discipline in the centre is the same as in the prisons, a combination of neglect and brutality. Youths have been subjected to all manner of abuse, by their guards and their peers, while in the centre.

One boy told Sunday Newsday that he has experienced life in both sections of the home. He spent six months in the centre.

“Life inside there is really hard,” he said. “Sometimes two boys would sleep in one cell on a mattress, but when it is crowded, boys would be sleeping on the ground outside the cells. Each cell could hold about six boys. They let police come in and beat up on the boys. There was one time that I got stabbed by another boy, and they called the police in. The police beat up everyone in the centre. And the other day when the boys escaped, they rounded up all the other boys at the home and beat us up again.

But we didn’t have anything to do with them escaping.” Boys need real help A social worker at the home said no real kind of rehabilitation can take place if the boys are confined to their cells, and even less can be done for the boys without proper management of the home. Sunday Newsday understands that psychologists and social workers have been assigned to the centre, but a social worker said more are needed.

“People who know about social work and criminology is what is really needed for that school,” said the social worker.

“You have to really have a heart for these youths. This is a helping profession where we help change lives. Some of these boys have no parents, or if they do, their parents are on drugs. Others may not have a father – either he is absent, in jail or dead – and that is the environment they are coming from. Some of these children, all they know is survival.” While the wards at the home are neglected by most of the staff, the social departments seem to be focused on the betterment of the children.

Social workers are tasked with attending court matters on the children’s behalf, monitoring their behaviour, and counselling and assistance with obligations like getting a bank account or an ID card.

Social workers are calling for more staff that are devoted to advancing the lives of the youths.

“There are people in this home who are willing to help these youths. There are staff members here that, despite all the challenges, still try to make it out to the home for the boys.

“Some staff members even organise programmes out of their own pockets. But we need better leadership, We need better management,” said a social worker.

On June 15, 11 of the boys escaped from the home. Since then five of the boys have been recaptured.

Sunday Newsday understands that at least three of them have since been sent to the Youth Training Cen