Panday to miss brother’s funeral

OPPOSITION Leader Basdeo Panday has failed in his attempt to delay his brother’s funeral. When he was finally contacted by telephone Wednesday night and informed of the death, he asked the family to postpone the burial, but his other brother Subhas told him the family could no longer bear the grief of holding back the body beyond tomorrow. “We proceed with the funeral on Saturday,” said Subhas. Basdeo Panday, who is currently in India, is unable to secure flights for the journey back home.

Rabindranath “Raj” Panday, 65, died at the San Fernando General Hospital early Wednesday morning. He had come from London for the Christmas holidays. He will be cremated tomorrow at Mosquito Creek. Subhas has been holding nightly prayer meetings at his home. Having succeeded Wednesday night in making telephone contact with Panday in India, Subhas said his brother was traumatised by the news of Raj’s death. “I can say he took it hard,” Subhas said. “Bas stayed in the same flat with Raj while both were studying in London,” Subhas said.  The Pandays sister, Dulcie, who lives in Canada and other relatives from the United States have already arrived for the funeral.

Panday will remain in India to collect an award from the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (Gopio International) on Sunday. Panday  has already presented several papers at the Gopio conference now taking place in New Delhi. A funeral service will take place at Subhas’ home in Buen Intento at 11 am, where pundits Abadenand Sharma and Vishnu Misir will officiate. A profile of “Raj” states he was a research engineer with British Telecom, who held degrees in electrical and mechanical engineering. Raj presented several papers at conferences in London on research into the mechanics of power generation.