A hustle that became a calling: Khalid ‘Monan’ Ghany and the art of honouring the departed

Khalid "Monan" Ghany at Paradise Cemetery, San Fernando on November 1. - Photos by Angelo Marcelle

WHAT began as a simple hustle for a 17-year-old boy in San Fernando has grown into a lifelong vocation. For the past 43 years, Khalid “Monan” Ghany has dedicated himself to cleaning and decorating gravesites at Paradise Cemetery, San Fernando, bringing solace and pride to families who wish to honour their loved ones during the sacred days of All Saints and All Souls.

Each year, as November approaches, Trinidad and Tobago’s Roman Catholic community prepares to observe All Saints’ Day on November 1, a time to remember the saints and martyrs, and All Souls’ Day on November 2, to commemorate all who have died in the faith. Across the country, it’s a cherished custom to clean family graves, apply a fresh coat of paint, and adorn tombs with flowers and candles.

It’s within this cultural rhythm that Monan and others like him found their niche. “We come to paint and clean the graves. This here what we do is a hustle – we come to look for a little money,” Monan said with a humble grin.

Though he still calls it a hustle, the truth is that Monan’s work has long transcended that. Over the decades, he has built a loyal clientele – families who trust him year after year to tend to the resting places of their loved ones.

Nigel Hosein spreads mulch across the grave of a relative, in preparation for All Saints and All Souls, at Paradise Cemetery, San Fernando on November 1.

“The week before All Saints, I clean the graves; the week after, I paint the tombstones. These are customers I’ve built up over years,” he explained. “Now I don’t really have to hustle again. My clients call me when the time comes, or sometimes I just do it because we already have that arrangement. Like now, it’s just after 12, and I’m already three-quarters finished. I'm just waiting for my customers to come and pay.”

Monan’s dedication has earned him the respect of the community and even the care of some of the country’s best-known names. “Some of my customers are the Kalicharans, Ms Koon How (Jaqui Koon How), the Samlalsinghs and the Boodosinghs,” he said proudly.

During the interview, several visitors to the cemetery recognised him immediately.

“This is the man I was telling alyuh about,” one man called out, nodding toward Monan, while a woman also confirmed he was the go-to man at Paradise Cemetery, for those wishing to spruce up a loved one’s grave.

As he moved between rows of headstones, Monan paused to point out the resting places of some of Trinidad and Tobago’s musical icons. “We have calypsonians buried here like Roaring Lion (Rafael de Leon), Black Stalin (Leroy Calliste), and Ras Shorty I (Garfield Blackman). Roaring Lion own looks good, but I keep telling the family of the others to come and clean up the others. These men are icons for Trinidad and Tobago. Oh gosh alyuh, clean up the grave nah man,” he pleaded.

The gravesite of Garfield Blackman in Paradise Cemetery, San Fernando, on November 1. Blackman rose to fame as "Lord Shorty," and later "Ras Shorty I."

For Monan, this tradition isn’t just about upkeep, it’s about memory, respect, and continuity. He reminisced about how the celebrations once filled the cemetery with life and light. “Long time, the same thing yuh seeing now but much more people. Families would come during the day, lime and pay respect. In the night, they’d come back, light candles, talk, and laugh. The whole cemetery used to shine bright with candles. As boys, we used to make candle balls and pelt people in the dark,” he said, laughing. “Now by seven o’clock, you might see one or two people. People come with the ashes and bury it. Most times they'd forget where it was buried.”

As dusk falls on another All Saints and All Souls season, the scene at Paradise Cemetery tells a quiet story, one of changing times, but also of enduring devotion. At its heart stands Khalid “Monan” Ghany, brush in hand, still finding joy in a craft born of faith, love, and remembrance.