No Linden business owner turned Kashif and Shanghai away

Dear Editor,
She stood in her little food shop, her apron worn but clean and that perpetual smile that brought back memories of the days when as secondary school boys, we would come up short, but still got our ‘bellyful’ of her delicacies.  She was one of the food stall owners at Linden that served us for far more than two decades. Served us and now our children. The same smile, the same love, the same generosity.

The smile seemed a bit strained, her eyes appeared to be vaguely sad, as she said: “We miss them a lot. The finals was good for us, the small business people at Linden. Good for the pride of the community; something our young people looked forward too.  We did so much, we gave so much throughout the years.  But, they are our boys still; God bless them.”  I was humbled by what she said. Humbled by the many Lindeners who conveyed similar sentiments.

Sentiments that conveyed the spirit of community, that transcends any hard feelings for such a great social and economic loss for a deprived community.  As I reminisced with them on the days when we would stand at the Kashif and Shanghai booth and looked for ourselves in the hundreds of photos that lined the walls, I too felt sad. There was so much love.  I do not believe a single business owner had ever turned Kashif and Shanghai away.  The entire tournament throughout the years saw the magnitude of generosity from Lindeners at home and in the diaspora.  Generous donations that made the tournament possible and its annual growth spectacular.

The year 2010 sees a shift that benefits our capital city.  It sees a shift that will benefit our boys, perhaps, deservedly. We see a shift in the ‘contextual economics’ of Linden, as countless Lindeners pack the National Stadium to enjoy the games. As we join the more fortunate from across Guyana spending on food and drinks, I implore them to give a thought to what is moral.  A thought that reminds us of the generosity, the pride and the forgiving hearts who are not selfish, but remain selfless even now.

Yours faithfully,
Norman Browne