A sombre scene at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA) this morning as thousands showed up to pay their final respects to former Prime Minister, the late Basdeo Panday.
The day started with the religious proceedings that took place at the family's home in Philippine. There, close relatives performed the final rites according to the Hindu scriptures.
Mr Panday’s body was then escorted to SAPA with a military procession.
From incumbent Parliamentarians to his former colleagues, all were united this morning by their memories and adoration for Basdeo Panday, who died at a Florida hospital on New Year’s Day.
A screen shot showing Mickela Panday during the funeral service for her father, the late Basdeo Panday, at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts in San Fernando, on Tuesday 9 January 2024.
His wife, Oma Panday, and their four daughters accompanied by their significant others, as well as Mr Panday's younger brother Subhas, were all dressed in white, symbolic of purity and rebirth.
A teary-eyed Mickela Panday reminisced on the relationship her father shared with his family. She recalled that even in his down times, he brought a smile to the faces of those he encountered.
“That was our dad. Always there to make you feel better, in his own way,” she said, before she became overcome with emotion.
A screen shot showing Subhas Panday during the funeral service for his brother, the late Basdeo Panday, at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts in San Fernando, on Tuesday 9 January 2024.
And his younger brother, Subhas Panday, told stories of the struggles his brother Basdeo endured throughout his life, and how poverty pushed him to becoming this country's fifth Prime Minister.
“He used his whole life assisting the poor,” Subhas Panday said. “We came from poverty. He never turned his back on poverty, but attempted to help everyone and anyone who came from that.”
“My brother also never had any racial inclinations, and I loved him for that,” he added.
The Panday family extended their gratitude to all those who came out over the past few days to pay final respects to the late Basdeo Panday, and who also extended personal condolences and well wishes to his family.
