Welcoming Akie Abe, wife of the Japanese Prime Minister, into her home was a moment that Claxton Bay housewife Prabatie Soondarlal says she will never forget.
However, the 63-year-old Soondarlal said Abe’s visit to her Spring Vale, Claxton Bay, home was bittersweet for her because her grandson Aaron Maharaj was not there to be a part of the excitement.
“He would have been the first person to greet her instead of me,” Soondarlal told reporters at her home.
Maharaj, 11, died four years ago. A pupil at the Spring Vale Hindu Primary School, he died at the Intensive Care Unit of the San Fernando General Hospital in September 2010 from the deadly bacterial infection encephalitis (an acute inflammation in the brain).
Soondarlal said she still thinks about her grandson daily and knew that had he been around he would have joined in the excitement of Abe’s visit.
“I really miss him for that,” she said.
She said she did not talk about Maharaj with Abe when she visited.
“We tried not to bring it up. The visit was good,” she said.
Abe visited Soondarlal’s home briefly before visiting pupils at the Spring Vale Hindu Primary School nearby.
Works and Infrastructure minister Dr Surujrattan Rambachan, who welcomed Abe to the Tabaquite constituency, said she had asked to visit a T&T family to experience local culture. He said Soondarlal was selected because of her family and the tragic loss of her grandson.
Abe spent about 15 minutes with Soondarlal, who was joined by relatives and two neighbours when she hosted Abe and her entourage. Security prevented the media from covering Abe’s visit with Soondarlal, reporters were told only Government Information Services Ltd (GISL) personnel were allowed to cover the visit.
Soondarlal, who cares for her ailing husband Gobin, said she never expected she would be selected for such an honour.
Abe, together with her husband Shinzo Abe, arrived in T&T on Saturday for a two-day visit as part of their 11-day Latin American/Caribbean tour. This year marks 50 years of diplomatic relations between T&T and Japan.
Abe visited the school, where she toured a greenhouse project the Japanese government sponsored. The Abes left T&T on Monday evening.
Soondarlal said Abe was pleasant and she was thrilled to have hosted the First Lady. She said Abe spoke to her through a translator.
“I enjoyed having her, I enjoyed every moment of her visit and I enjoyed the excitement we had here today. We didn’t chat about anything really important, just about the surroundings, the neighbourhood, what type of neighbours you have, the environment. I told her we do not have any problem with the environment. She talked Japanese—I could not understand, all I said was ‘Yes, yes, yes,’” Soondarlal said, laughing.
She described meeting Abe as “a precious moment for me, an exciting moment for me. I felt very, very excited.”
Soondarlal said two weeks ago, Spring Vale Hindu Primary School principal Indar Bhagwandeen came to ask her if she would be part of the visit and she readily accepted. She said she painted her home and cleaned up in preparation.
It was suggested that she prepare mango chow for Abe to taste, and she picked fresh Julie mangoes from her tree to make the chow. Soondarlal said every member of Abe’s entourage sampled it.
“They enjoyed the mango chow, they said it was very delicious. It was spicy and they really enjoyed the mango chow. They had mango chow and water,” she said.
Soondarlal said she was not worried that the chow would be too peppery for Abe.
She even shared a sample of her chow with reporters and photographers. It was tasty, with slight pepper.
“We made sure and taste it before. We make sure it was okay for her.
“Her whole delegation had some of the chow. They were anxious for this chow, they wanted to taste. They enjoyed it.
“We appreciate them. We may never see this in a lifetime again,” she said. Soondarlal said Abe, who sat with her in her front porch, also admired the flower garden at the front of her home.