radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
The funeral of beloved magician Deoraj Seunarine, fondly known as Dr Abracadabra, will take place on Saturday.
And as family, friends and fans prepare for a final farewell, calls are being made for Princess Margaret Street in San Fernando to be renamed in his honour.
A petition to this end had in fact already been submitted to San Fernando Major Junia Regrello prior to Seunarine’s death.
Speaking exclusively to Guardian Media yesterday, Seunarine’s younger son Visham Seunarine said this would be a fitting tribute and had been one of his father’s last wishes.
Saying Dr Abracadabra was a national icon, Visham said he was proud to follow in his father’s footsteps and perform illusions across several parts of the world.
He said Seunarine, who was born in Debe, was devoted to his Caribbean identity and the preservation of the Bhojpuri dialect.
Seunarine journeyed to schools across the country performing for children, sometimes for free or at minimal costs.
Being a school teacher and later a principal, Seunarine used illusion and strategy to win over children and to teach them academics, Visham revealed.
“Magic was a tool that he used in school. For disruptive and troublesome students, he would use magic to get them interested. Simple tricks with Maths, he would show them a magic trick related to Maths to get them to understand,” Visham said.
With the high rate of depression and anxiety among students, Seunarine said there should be curriculum changes to break the monotony of a strict, structured academic routine which may make children depressed.
“My father always said regardless of whatever life brings at you, laughter is the best medicine. We need to find a way to encourage children to express themselves in a way that is not strictly academic and doesn’t put pressure on them,” Visham said.
Meanwhile, the founder of Caribbean Hindustani, Dr Visham Bhimull, said Seunarine was his mentor.
“I was eight years old when he first came to Warrenville Presbyterian to do magic tricks. My mom and dad also knew of his performances when they were younger. It was something we looked forward to,” Dr Bhimull said.
He said Seunarine incorporated Hindustani in his performances and had been dedicated to preserving and promoting the languages of the Indo-Caribbean people.
Seunarine was known as one of the few people fluent in Trinidad Bhojpuri, Hindi and Urdu, some of the languages brought to Trinidad by East Indian indentured immigrants. He also was conversational in Bengali and Chinese.
Guardian Media was told yesterday that Mayor Regrello had contacted the family offering condolences and assistance.