The body of a man was discovered yesterday at Garden of Eden after he drowned on Sunday while trying to retrieve a bucket which floated away.

Seeram Balwant, 40, popularly known as ‘Bird’ by the people in his community,  of 347 Grove Housing Scheme was discovered sometime around 10 am yesterday by his friend who says he has been looking for Balwant since he disappeared from his clutches on Sunday.

Ramsarran Narine told Stabroek News at Balwant’s home yesterday that he and Balwant along with another were preparing to go to a farm on Sunday.

While at the Kofi koker, Narine said, their boat was going under because of the heavy rainfall and the water which was being drained through the koker and Balwant tried to bail out the boat with a bucket.

“The bucket float away and he went after it and the stream ah water pull he away,” Narine said. Narine then jumped in after his friend to save him, “I hold he very well but the tide was strong and I couldn’t manage to hold him and swim.”

“I loose he fuh catch me breath but by the time I look back he gone,” Narine added. Narine said had he not let go of Balwant he too would have drowned.

The koker was opened at the time draining the land after the heavy rainfall and Balwant was pulled away with the tide.

Narine said he had been looking for his friend along the waterfront. He found Balwant yesterday at the GPL wharf. He said he noticed the body floating against the wharf. “I was the last to see and the first to find he,” Narine said.

Iren Balwant, Seeram’s mother, yesterday said sadly, “I gun miss he bad,” as she reflected on the kind of person her son was. “He like sport…he a happy person everybody like him,” she said. Balwant, his mother said, was not married.

The second to last of five children, Iren said her son was not working at the time of his demise.

He used to work at the sugar estate she said and would sometimes sell fish but was not a fisherman. His brother, Rampersaud Balwant, meanwhile remembers his brother as a man who liked to work.

“He like plant cane…he bad fuh days,” Rampersaud added. Seeram Balwant will be laid to rest today.