Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud was cremated yesterday after he was remembered as a humble man, who devoted his time and energy to the Hindu religion and politics for the betterment of all Guyanese.
Hundreds congregated beneath tents on the lawns of the International Convention Centre, at Liliendaal to pay their last respect to Persaud during a three-hour-long ceremony.
Persaud, 77, died early Sunday morning. A former Member of Parliament (MP) and government minister, he had served the PPP for more than five decades and was instrumental in the formation and growth of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha.
Ministers of the government, members of the opposition, the Speaker of the National Assembly and members of the diplomatic community were among those present at the funeral service. There was an orderly viewing before the body was placed on a doli and transported to the Good Hope crematorium, for cremation sometime after 3pm.
Dr. Vindhya Persaud who followed her father’s footsteps by entering politics, described him as a very religious man who used Hindu teachings in every aspect of his life.
She said he considered the people to be his family and gave selfless service to humanity. “It is a loss we will never recover from,” she noted, while adding that her father’s legacy will live on.
Her brother, Vishok Persaud, during an emotional
