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Shivnarine Chanderpaul honoured in home village - April 14, 2005
Captain of the West Indies Cricket team Shivnarine Chanderpaul was honoured at a simple ceremony by the Unity/Lancaster Cricket Club in his home village, Unity on East Coast, Demerara.
President Bharrat Jagdeo, who is also a son of that village attended the reception in honour of Chanderpaul’s appointment as Captain of the West Indies Cricket team for the DIGICEL 2005 home series.
“I want us to never loose sight of what this young man (Shivnarine Chanderpaul) has done. He has come from humble beginnings in a small village and he has achieved the top position that anyone in his field could achieve”, he said.
The Head of State said, “This means a lot, because it says that you can achieve anything if you work hard”. He said that Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been a tower of strength and concentration and this is why he achieved what he set out to do.
The President said that this moment to honour Chanderpaul can be considered one of the most genuine compliments that the cricketer could achieve. He said that when you achieve great things many people want to get close to you but, what matters most is the people that you know have always been there for you.
President Jagdeo said that Guyanese must celebrate the achievements of Chanderpaul. He said, “We as villagers are proud of him and we know that he is going to go on to achieve great things”.
He urged the members of the community to continue to support the young people in the village and give them opportunities to develop themselves. “If we give children opportunities they can achieve anything”, he said.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul remembered his days as a young boy growing up in Unity looking for every opportunity to practice his cricketing skills. He said, “I knew what I wanted to do and I knew it would not be easy. It would take a lot of hard work to get there. Day and night I was thinking about cricket”.
Chanderpaul said, “You had to be strong but coming out of a village of Unity you knew how to be strong”.
The cricketer who has played in 82 test matches urged youths to focus on their education because that is the only way out. He said that after this you can still find time for other things.
He said that he is appreciative of the support he has received from the people of Unity and Guyana. He singled out the President, saying I can call him anytime for advice and he has a listening ear.
President of the Unity/Lancaster Cricket Club Chetram Singh said that Chanderpaul’s selection as captain after the second test was a unanimous choice by the Board of selectors. He said that the Caribbean has rallied behind the new Captain.
