Season one of the comedy series, Life with the Ramsinghs, has come to an end. Writer and director, Paul Bansilal, said he tried to capture the series as realistically as possible. It was based on the history of East Indian people in the 1960s, with a lot of shared hardships and a simple way of life, at a time where education was given a high preference and produced a lot of scholars. Among the important topics highlighted were alcoholism and domestic violence. This caused outrage among some people who described the series as glorification of alcohol. But Bansilal argued that it was impossible to accurately show our history if we could not face our past.
He said rum had been a part of the lives of East Indian people since their arrival to Trinidad in the 1800s.
The story is told that at 4 am in a cold canefield, rum was given to youngsters at a tender age to keep them warm so that they would be able to work efficiently. It was their only comfort in a harsh world. While the production company, Total Chaos, does not condone alcoholism, it seeks to understand the origins of this serious problem that exists up to this day. And Bansilal insists that even though we may feel disturbed or ashamed, we cannot deny the fact that it happened.
Life with the Ramsinghs also salutes women as the strength of the family, and sometimes the stronger sex. It explores their hardship, such as experienced by Joyce, who had to deal with an alcoholic son and husband, and still found the strength to push Raj, to win a scholarship. It also illustrated the power of education and its effects, when Raj, who was from a poor family, topped the island in examinations, and won him the admiration and respect of Indira's parents-the richest family in the village. As the season unfolded, viewers were treated to comedy, mixed with a well-balanced story that sought to illustrate Trinidad and its society as it was in the 1960s. Total Chaos promises to deliver Season Two before the end of the year.