Dhanraj Singh’s father cremated

ROOPNARINESINGH Lallaram Singh was remembered as a fighter, a father who invested in his children’s future and a man fond of dancing. The 65-year-old father of former Local Government Minister Dhanraj Singh, was cremated yesterday following an emotional funeral service at his Tateco Avenue, Reform home. Delivering the eulogy, family friend Mayol Rajpaul said Singh, also known as Bickharry and “fat boy,” survived a difficult childhood and defied the odds because he was a fighter then and throughout his life. Rajpaul recalled Singh, who was a contractor and proprietor even after he had a stroke in 1998, could still be seen driving around and transacting business with the support of a cane.

He added that the father of six, “spent quality time with each child and developed each into the fields they had chosen.” He said Singh made himself, “extremely happy when he would dance with anyone who  would compete with him.” For a while, laughter broke through the solemnity of the funeral service when Rajpaul added, “probably this is where Dhanraj acquired his dancing genes, which were manifested on his political campaign trail and elsewhere.”  The former Local Government Minister managed a smile. Pundit Abhiranan Sharma Persad reminded the gathering that dying was a part of life and so everyone must be prepared for death, which comes without warning. “We must live our life so good that when everyone is crying, we are laughing,” the Pundit said.

Family members performed the arti ritual on the body. Widower Sheila Roopnarinesingh sat beside the casket, in which her dead husband’s body lay. Mrs Singh held strong for a while, but eventually the tears came as the grieving woman was comforted by her daughter Mala. Dhanraj fought back the tears and looked reverently at his father in the casket. Relatives and family members sobbed in each others arms, looking at the body in the casket and shaking their heads for the man. Several family members and friends put garlands of flowers around Singh’s neck while others placed flowers in the casket.

Among those present were former Deputy mayor of Chaguanas Orlando Nagessar and UNC MPs  Harry Partap and Hamza Rafeeq. Dorothy Cummings also turned up to pay her respect. Singh died last Thursday at St Clair Medical Centre after a battle with a lung illness. He suffered from hypertension and diabetes and was diagnosed as suffering from a lung infection. He had undergone a kidney transplant last November in Pakistan. After the  funeral service, the body was taken for cremation at the Shore of Peace in La Romaine.