At the altar of faith
- last private respects paid to family slain in front of their altar
By Faizool Deo
RELATIVES of the Seecharran family had to create two extra gates on their fence yesterday to accommodate hundreds of persons who wanted to see those of the family slain in last Saturday’s Lusignan massacre.

 

Dhanrajie Ramsingh, her daughter, Raywattie Ramsingh and husband, Rooplall Seecharran.

The bodies of the three family members - Rooplall Seecharran, 56, his wife Dhanrajie Ramsingh 52, and their 11-year-old daughter Raywattie Ramsingh - lay in front of the altar they were killed, when gunmen went on a merciless spree last Saturday evening.

A RELIGIOUS FAREWELL: Family members of the Seecharran family pay their final private tribute at the altar, where the family was gunned down.

It was almost unthinkable that their bodies would lie anywhere but before the family altar in the house before it went on public viewing.

The woman was deeply religious, and her faith moved her to do good works in the community. Her husband struggled to eke out a life for his family as a cane harvester with the Enmore sugar factory.

Their bodies, with that of their daughter, were cremated yesterday afternoon according to Hindu rights at the Good Hope crematorium.

The family was a part of a group of 11 persons who were cut down last Saturday morning by gunmen in Lusignan, East Coast Demerara.

President Bharrat Jagdeo sits in the Seecharran’s family home for the funeral service. Seated next to the President is Minister within the Ministry of Health Dr. Bheri Ramsarran.

The ten massacre victims were either burnt or buried yesterday. Earlier in the day though, it was chaos as scores of people, most never having seen the three before, pushed their way through a crowd that spanned both sides of the road just to get a look at them.

This confusion forced the gates shut at one time, but it instantly re-opened and relatives decided to rip out the staves off the southern side of their fence so as to ease the traffic.

One lady who claimed to have been from Mahaica said she made the journey because she, too, has an 11-year-old child. There were a number of persons who had travelled from different parts of the country to pay their respects.

Most of them were women, and they showed their determination by braving the midday sun. Members of the government and the ruling Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), the Peoples National Congress Reform (PNCR) and the Alliance For Change, also paid respects to the family.

Despite the commotion on the outside, there was a harmonious presence on the inside, as relatives and friends sang ‘bhajans’ (religious songs).

Later as the crowd lessened and the religious service began, emotions grew.

Pandit Ravi Persaud from the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, told mourners the world is characterised by opposites and that as long as there is life there will be death.

He, too, became sad and acknowledged that he does not know what words he could use as comfort. “How can I convince you that you should not mourn or weep? The entire society has lost; what more can I tell you to do?” This statement brought tears to more eyes as family members caved in.

The bodies were later taken to a final viewing on Lusignan’s main road before the cremation took place at the Good Hope crematorium.

Friday, February 01, 2008