Centenarian hits milestone in Barbados

By Anesta Henry

Trinidad-born Isaac Ramsingh, who has been living in Toronto, Canada for the past 55 years, celebrated his 100th birthday on February 21 in Barbados.

Ramsingh who is in the island for a few months, along with his daughter Nalini Ramsingh and her husband Frank Visconti, told Barbados TODAY he felt blessed  especially since he is the only person in his generation to reach the milestone.

The centenarian said he was especially happy to be soaking up warm weather.

“We are strangers here in Barbados but the people we know are very polite and very kind to us,” he said.

The father of eight said his wife who was his backbone and biggest supporter and motivator passed away eight and a half years ago.

Ramsingh, whose parents were immigrants from India, said his family moved to Canada in 1967 in search of better educational opportunities for the children. This decision led to him giving up his position as a divisional manager at a large company.

Because of the structure of the Canadian economy and the education system, Ramsingh’s degree from the University of the West Indies was of no use to him, making it difficult for him to find a job there.

Fortunately, he was hired by a company and simultaneously pursued studies at a university before he could be considered for a managerial position.

“So to accept that position I had to go back to school. For four years, I went to school at night and worked in the day. The company made hydraulics so I had to go back to school to study all the areas in hydraulics which included a lot of technical information.

“But more importantly, to be an accredited person to deal with customers, you have to know the product,” he explained, adding that six out of his eight children are also university graduates.

Ramsingh is staying with a friend in Rowan’s Park, St George. 

He noted that coming from humble beginnings and losing his parents when he was 16, forced him to find ways and means to survive.

“I came up with the idea that the most important thing to do is to have knowledge. I have knowledge of the country, knowledge of political development, knowledge of the industry, knowledge of business and knowledge in general for survival.

“Everything I did in my entire life was as a result of prayer to God asking for guidance. I believe that God guided me, and my mother has been with me all the while. I got married to a wonderful, prettiest girl in the world. She was a very great influence on me and my development,” he said.

Ramsingh said he was involved in a vehicular accident about 12 years ago which resulted in him walking with the assistance of a stick.

The centenarian said that while he loves all types of foods, he insists on maintaining a healthy diet.

“I wanted to look nice. Look at me; I haven’t put on any weight for the last 25 to 30 years. I use the philosophy ‘burn what you eat,’” Ramsingh said, indicating that he still exercises to keep fit and stay healthy.

Nalini recalled that Ramsingh who has 12 grandchildren and five great-grands was a strict father who worked hard to provide for his family.

“When we return home we will celebrate with the rest of the family because his whole family is there. We brought him away for the winter. My grandmother used to come here in the 1800’s.

“When my mom and my dad got married they used to come here from Trinidad and when we moved to Canada we still kept coming. We love everything about Barbados; the food, the people, everything,” Nalini said.

The interview was conducted at Rowans Park, St George, at the home of a friend of the Ramsingh’s who organised a special birthday luncheon for the centenarian. 

anestahenry@barbadostoday.bb