AS TOLD TO BC PIRES

My name is Davy Sookraj and I’m a landscape artist.

I born and grow and lived 40 years of my life in Santa Cruz, close to the Stollmeyer estate, where my grandparents worked.

That experience shaped me into the human being I am.

I still love Santa Cruz and pass and look for my friend Anthony Campo.

I grow up with my cousins, going in the bush, cocoa fields, going in the river to catch fish. Forest. Living off the land. Adventure, then.

My wife Alana Abdul-Sookraj and I are together 15 years, married seven years.

We have three sons, Jadon Abdul, 14, in QRC, Israel Sookraj, 13, St Francis College, and Darian Sookraj, nine, Richmond Street Boys’.

During the day, if somebody want to eat something, that’s fair for them.

But when we sit down to eat as a family, everybody has to pray together.

I went to Santa Cruz RC, Mt Hope Junior Sec and San Juan Secondary Comprehensive, by Bourg Mulatresse there.

I came out with three passes in 1997.

I don’t regret anything, though, because wherever I am now is where God wanted me to be.

I read my Bible and listen to people talk.

The onliest place I’ve never been is a mosque. And my father is Muslim!

I wasn’t raised in a faith but I had this feeling growing up that we weren’t just here for nothing, there had to be a reason.

I started going to the RC church on my own. My parents never send me. I used to travel to school, so I travelled to church and made First Communion.

When I was around 18 years, I develop this feeling: live and be free, live different from everybody else. I try to move away from people and society.

I realise people’s just kinda fail you all the time. And stab you in your back for no reason.

Once people show me love, I show them love. I deal with everybody everywhere I go with the same level of respect.

If I find like you want to cross my path, I pull myself back. Because I don’t want no conflict!

Some people like problems. But I just like peace.

Life is hard enough. And nobody doesn’t know what somebody else walking around with in their mind.

My hair is all about a spiritual connection to this earth, this universe, the supreme power. My hair is about Jah Rastafari but not Selassie-I.

I not praising no man and figure he’s some kind of God. I not respecting that. I not worshipping no idols.

I just believe in God, something keeping you alive and guiding you.

I did training with the Defence Force. I could have been a police officer.

All these things, I just walked away from it. I didn’t have a family at the time. And I said I have to take care of myself first.

And after that, my whole life turn around into a real positive direction. Today, I have a family, I have two houses, I have a job, a business on the side. Something have to be working.

I listen to conscious music.

[caption id="attachment_990506" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Davy Dookraj: "Most of my work is creating and designing gardens and landscapes." - Mark Lyndersay[/caption]

Growing up, I had one or two uncles who were Rast