Family businesses reflect on Indo-Trinidadian enterprise 180 years later | Local Business

ON May 30, 1845, the Fatel Razack sailed into the Gulf of Paria, carrying the hopes, hardships, and dreams of 225 Indian indentured labourers bound for Trinidad’s sugar estates.

Today, 180 years later, the legacy of that journey is woven not only into the cultural fabric of the nation but also into its boardrooms, shops, and business parks.

With Indian Arrival Day being commemorated on Friday, Express Business spoke to several local business owners to understand how history shaped their journeys and how they, in turn, are helping to shape T&T’s economic future.

Charran’s Bookstore

In a WhatsApp interview with Express Business, Charran’s Bookstores chairman Vivek Charran shared that the family business began with his grandparents, who first worked in agriculture. He is now the third generation in the family enterprise.

Charran recounted how his grandparents’ entrepreneurial spirit laid the foundation for what would eventually become a well-known local retail chain.

“The company started with my grandparents; at first they worked in the cocoa and sugarcane plantations before planting rice and tomatoes to sell in the markets. They then got into citrus but that did not fare well during this time. They also had a general store selling all types of commodities to the village, which led to them growing financially and acquiring land in Chaguanas and Felicity,” he said.

After the passing of his grandfather, it was his grandmother, despite having limited formal education, who kept the business going with the help of her children.

The business became more than a commercial hub; it was the heart of family life, said Charran.

“The life the second generation lived was a happy one, but one of work, discipline, and supporting each other as a whole. There was a lot of respect for my grandmother from her family and the community as a widowed mother and businesswoman who was also very religious, pious, and very engaged in her religion. She was always having public prayers at the temple in Felicity where everyone in the village was invited.”

According to Charran, the seeds planted by his grandparents enabled the business and family to flourish across generations.

When asked how his background shaped his business values, Charran shared the principles most often passed down by his grandmother: community, kindness, religion, service, and sacrifice.

“She was very devoted to her large family and God; she was also quite the businesswoman. She passed that along to her children and it has passed through them to the third generation, which is what we are. She never took comfort or wealth for granted, so only because of her journey in life to get where she was, she would always talk about the old days in her later years before she died in her 90s.”

Reflecting on the significance of Indian Arrival Day, Charran described it as a reminder of the courage it took to forge a life in a new land and the opportunities that came with that journey.

“It’s not so much about where we came from but about the home that was made here in this country and the generations that struggled and lived to try and make a life in a foreign land with others. That’s our true home, T&T,” said Charran.

He emphasised that the journey didn’t end with the ocean crossing… it only began.

“That’s a universal lesson. We are all immigrants to Trinidad except for the Caribs and Arawaks. There was one journey from India to Trinidad, but then when they arrived another journey had to take place, one that was much harder than crossing the ocean. That’s also what every other people that crossed an ocean to get here had to do—whether from Europe, Africa, India, China, or Syria. But Indian Arrival Day is special because it reminds us that it’s not just about where we came from but about the home that was made here in this country and the generations that struggled and lived to try and make a life in a foreign land with others who would become a community.”

Persad’s D’ Food King

The well-known supermarket chain in South Trinidad, Persad’s D’ Food King, has a history that stems from the Ballia District of Uttar Pradesh, India, according to business development associate and third-generation family member Ishvani Persad.

With the help of her uncle and director of the Persad’s D’ Food King group, Vernon Persad, she shared the group’s history with Express Business.

Persad said in 1888, her ancestors Jankie, his wife Katarania, and their four children—Roopwa (also known as Ramroop), Ramdhanee, Etwaria, and Somaria—left Bhaduara Village in the Ballia District of Uttar Pradesh, India.

“After being screened in Calcutta, they boarded the SS Hereford and arrived at Nelson Island on October 31, 1888. Roopwa was just eight years old when he made that journey. Once processed, the family was sent to the Hindustan Estate, where our Trinbagonian story began,” said Persad.

She highlighted that 21 years later, Jankie and Katarania eventually returned to India, leaving their children behind. This led to Roopwa laying the foundation for the family’s lineage in T&T. He became the father of Kassie Persad, her paternal great-grandfather, who with his wife Boodiah went on to have 21 children, including her aaja (paternal grandfather), Mohan David Persad.

“There’s a story my aaja once told us that I hold very close to my heart. He was in the canefields, taking a break under a tree with his younger brother Ghanpat, whom we affectionately call ‘Uncle Hundred’. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he looked up at the sky and said, ‘One day to come, I will live to see my family’s name surrounded by lights like a movie theatre. Lighted day and night.’ That vision stayed with him. It would go on to inspire our first logo, and the now-iconic Persad’s grocery bag that generations of Trinbagonians know by heart,” said Persad.

The foundation of the business was built in 1970, in a small shop in New Town, Princes Town, by her grandparents, Mohan and Shirley Persad. Her grandfather was 25 years old when they opened the doors and welcomed their first baby—her dad.

“With the blessing of his parents and a $3,000 gift from his father, he bought a modest shop from his older brother and best friend, Harinath Persad (lovingly known as Uncle Toy). The night before their opening, aaja and aajee stayed up together scrubbing the floors and readying the space to welcome their first customers. They started with staples—rice, flour, and sugar—packed in brown paper bags with handwritten prices. My aajee remembers scooping channa and sugar with small metal scoops, weighing everything on a hand scale.”

She also described the business as the “seed” for the family—not only did it become a household name; it was also where her parents met.

Remembering the principle instilled by her great-grandfather—“Do not think dishonest, much less act dishonest”—she noted that this still guides every decision made in the family.

“Their business has never been just about groceries. It has always been about people. Feeding families, giving back, creating jobs, sponsoring education, and making a difference, one small act at a time,” said Persad.

In 2024, her grandfather was awarded the Chaconia Gold Medal, one of the nation’s highest honours. But she said if you ask him, his greatest reward has always been seeing others rise.

Asked what Indian Arrival Day means to her and her family within the business realm, she said it is a day of remembrance, gratitude, and reflection; an annual reminder that they are here because someone before them was brave enough to leave everything behind and begin again.

“When I asked my family what the day meant to them, the answer was clear: gratitude. Gratitude for the unknown faces who boarded ships with nothing but faith. Gratitude for the spirit of resilience and enterprise they carried across the ocean. That is the essence of family businesses and entrepreneurship: the willingness to risk, to hope, and to build for a future they might never see.”

For Persad, Indian Arrival Day is a call to carry that torch forward and continue the journey, but never forget where it started.

“To walk into boardrooms with the same humility and bravery that our ancestors walked off that ship with. To build, to serve, and to remember.”

She continued: “Today, as business leaders, we try to live with that same sense of duty. To be fearless in the face of uncertainty. To lead with empathy. To put our communities and our people first. And most importantly, to never forget where we came from.” Persad stressed that Indian Arrival Day is a celebration of identity, perseverance, and the power of remembering.

“It reminds us that no matter how high we climb, we are always standing on the shoulders of those who came before us.”