It was a memorable occasion for 109-year-old Soobagia Sarran when she met her Member of Parliament Rudranath Indarsingh on Tuesday night. Sarran celebrated her birthday on Monday. Indarsingh, leader of the All Trinidad Sugar and General Workers Trade Union (ATSGWTU) before his entry into politics, took flowers and cake to the Phoenix Park home of the centenarian.
Indarsingh sat and talked with Sarran about the days when she worked as a canecutter. She was born on the Waterloo estate in Carapichaima and got married at the age of nine. She had 13 children, seven of whom are alive. She has more than 60 grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Sarran, whose husband died 35 years ago, worked with the Tate and Lyle Sugar Company which later became Caroni (1975) Limited. After retiring from Tate and Lyle, she worked as a labourer with a private canefarmer until her mid-70s. Indarsingh said he felt privileged to meet Sarran who had witnessed the birth of the local trade union movement, the change from colonialism to independence and the rise and fall of several political figures.
