He tried his hand at turning a huge cog wheel but failed. As the rusted galvanised iron sheets banged overhead on the roof, he climbed a flight of iron steps through a maze of iron supports to a plaque which, when dusted, showed 1874. He suggested that this old factory should be preserved, not only as an historic monument but as a part of a museum of the past sugar industry, and open to those students of local history and as a tourist attraction. Rabindranath Maharaj, a consummate thinker and creative writer, who, in spite of his success as a major novelist, has maintained his simplicity, his Trini humour and common touch, and with a passion for preservation of old buildings, the environment and history. Even though he enjoys the Canadian scenes, it is his hope to return to settle in his beloved homeland Trinidad, some time in the future. He recognises, however, that writers in Trinidad are viewed with a mixture of hostility, anxiety, or indifference.