Episode 1: Meet the Rooplals

"West Indian Story" will chronicle the lives of two families in a neighbourhood. The first family is the Rooplals, a Hindu East Indian family who has just moved into their new neighbourhood. The family is pictured below:

From RIGHT to LEFT:

• AVINASH ROOPLAL - Avinash is seventeen years old and is indifferent to moving out from his past neighbourhood. Though he frequently listens to dancehall, reggae and crunk music, he is a racist. When he was twelve, he was mugged by two Afro-Trinidadians outside of Stroker's pool club in Chaguanas and since then has been building up a hatred for black people. He wants to save up to buy a Toyota and his role model is Machel Montano.

• LALCHAND ROOPLAL - Lalchand is currently unemployed after being laid off from his previous construction job for (true) claims of sexual harassment against young schoolgirls. This was the catalyst for moving into the new neighbourhood. After much soul searching, he has decided to try to mend things with his marriage and family.

• SHOBHA ROOPLAL - Shobha is a steadfast Hindu and is married to Lalchand. She believes in keeping a clean home and a sturdy bond with the higher powers. She believes the claims of sexual harassment against her husband to be false, but is frustrated by his current lack of a job. She cares very much for her three children. She is a big fan of old Bollywood movies and classic Indian music.

• DEVIKA ROOPLAL - Devika is sixteen years old and very much abhors her family and tries to maintain little contact with them. Her father's sexual harassment case did not help things. She studies very hard with hopes of moving out of the home and going to the United Kingdom to study Medicine. When she gets there, she does not plan to return. She is currently trying to read Russian literature such as Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, but finds herself struggling. She detests 'phonies' and 'the new generation', which she refers to as "The Confederacy of Dunces".

• ARTEE ROOPLAL - Artee is Devika's twin sister, but their personalities couldn't be more different. Artee lost her virginity to a boy named Vishan when she was thirteen. What followed was a string of bad flings that had left her hollow for two years. She also does very bad in school. Right now, she is trying to get her shit back together. But part of her also wants to bull every man in the new neighbourhood.

NEXT TIME: MOVING DAY