Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
For three years, Sachin Ramlochan called his barber shop home—sleeping in a small room after long, exhausting days on his feet, cutting hair from morning to night, determined to survive despite being homeless.
Speaking to HE, Ramlochan recalled the darkest days of his life.
“I used to get up about half-five in the morning, go by neighbours to brush my teeth and get ready, and come back and open the shop,” he said. “I would work straight through… sometimes until 10 or 11 at night, even later at Christmas.”
Today, at 38, Ramlochan says those hardships helped instil in him humility, a love for others and a deep desire to give back to the less fortunate.
He said he grew up in extreme poverty as one of six children raised by his parents, Pooran and Sumati Ramlochan, in a cramped home without basic amenities. “We grow up very poor—extremely poor,” he said. “But it was a loving home. My mother always put us first.”
Those early struggles shaped his outlook on life. He remembers simple meals and making do with whatever the family had. “Long time, sometimes we didn’t have anything. We used to make what we could and humble ourselves. But we were together, and that made it good.”
At 17, his life changed forever when his mother died at just 46. “She was everything,” he said quietly. “After she passed, I had to find my own way.”
A few years later, a family dispute left them without a home. By 21, Ramlochan said, his family had split, and he began living in a barber shop owned by his elder brother, Ropesh Kamal Ramlochan. Despite the odds, he never stopped working. “I always had a goal—that one day I would have my own roof over my head,” he said.
That determination paid off. What started as a small, makeshift shop grew into a steady business, supported by loyal customers who continue to pass through his doors each day. Ramlochan said barbering became a passion. “I love to cut hair. Even when I tired, I still love it,” he said with a smile.
His compassion has also drawn a growing following on social media, where he shares glimpses of his daily life—balancing work and caring for his ailing father, who now lives with him. Ramlochan said this is a role he embraces without hesitation.
“I just love my dad,” he said. “I don’t see it as anything special… I just be having fun taking care of him.”
Even during his hardest years, when he had little, he found ways to give back—hosting toy drives for children at Christmas for nearly two decades. “No matter how hard things was, I always try to help somebody,” he said.
Sharing his life through videos, spreading positivity and encouraging others has brought its own rewards. But he insists there is nothing extraordinary about what he does. “People tell me they admire it, but I’m just being myself. I just like to make people happy,” he said.
At the centre of his world is his teenage daughter, Ami-Lee, who is about to turn 16. “She real loving… bright, strong,” he said. “Sometimes she’s a little laid back,” he added with a laugh, “but she’s learning.”
Determined to pass on the lessons of his own upbringing, Ramlochan said he has been teaching her how to cook—skills he picked up as a boy watching his mother in the kitchen. “I never really get taught, I just used to watch my mother. Now I teaching my daughter,” he said. “She starting to cook now—I tell her, ‘Chef Ami!’”
Though he and his daughter’s mother are no longer together, he said they remain best friends and are committed to co-parenting. “When it comes to my daughter, we foot to foot,” he said. “That is my best friend.”
For Ramlochan, life’s hardships have not made him bitter—they have made him stronger.
“Sometimes in life, you will fall,” he reflected. “But you have to get back up. Pray for strength, keep working, and don’t give up.”
He believes material things are temporary, but character is lasting. “House and land is just material things,” he said. “When you done, you can’t carry it with you. So just try to live good and do good.”
