Every Monday is Caura.
The river lime tradition, immortalised by chutney singers Ravi B and Rakesh Yankeran in their hit song Monday, was kept alive by hundreds of citizens, who yesterday flocked to the popular watercourse in north-east Trinidad to close off their Easter long weekend.
Groups of limers made their way to the river early on Easter Monday in order to secure their preferred spot along the banks to set up their outdoor kitchens.
When a news team from Guardian Media visited the location around midday, the smell of curry and smoke and the blaring sounds of competing after market car audio systems could be discerned along the winding Caura Royal Road well before approaching the popular Pool 1.
There was hardly a parking spot in sight as limers packed their vehicles tightly in every crevice of the available roadway in front of the ruins of buildings left behind from an abandoned 1940s colonial dam project.
Children were seen splashing in the shallows while their older relatives and friends dove into the deeper portions of the river from a concrete embankment and a rope swing.
The designated cooks for each group were all hard at work preparing elaborate lunches with the ubiquitous river lime dish of curry duck being the staple on the menu of each crew.
The individual car sound systems eventually gave way to a large music truck with a professional DJ, who seemed to satisfy the musical needs of the dozens of individual groups with a cocktail of Chutney, Soca, Dancehall, and Afrobeats music.
In a brief interview, while simultaneously stirring a bubbling pot of stewed chicken, Brian Ahing explained that he and his family would normally visit the river on Easter Monday.
However, he explained that they were forced to adjust to the periodic closure of rivers and beaches during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This come like a last lap for us. With two years being out with COVID-19, this is long overdue,” a smiling Ahing said.
Another limer Roshan Khanhai, who brought relatives from Canada to the river before they left Trinidad to return home, said that he and his family were elated to be able to have a river lime after the pandemic restrictions.
“This is part of life for us. It is the best,” Khanhai said.
Police vehicles were seen patrolling the various liming spots along the river, with a large contingent of officers stationed opposite the Caura Hospital seemingly in preparation for a breathalyser exercise late yesterday evening.
