Peter Hanoomansingh’s eulogy
Media veteran Hans Hanoomansingh wrote this eulogy for his son Peter Hanoomansingh for his funeral. It is reproduced here with his permission.
It appeared that Peter was in no hurry to enter this world. Dr. Ralph Boland had admitted to the maternity ward of the Port-of-Spain general hospital one-week before Christmas 1963.
By Christmas Eve, the baby had not yet arrived, so Myrna was allowed to return home for the celebrations of the birth of Christ.
She returned the day after Boxing Day and Peter, by Caesarean section, emerged on Old Year’s, December 31st to much rejoicing and thanksgiving.
Myrna called out his names… Peter Brian Rajendra, and her sister Mavis proclaimed that her nephew was the most beautiful baby she had ever seen. Radio Guardian dominated the airwaves: It’s a boy, it’s a boy.
One week later, using Deonarine Deo’s borrowed Zephyr, I took my wife and precious first born to our Cunupia home.
Three years later, Peter would be centrestage in my campaign for public office. My brochure carried a family photograph with Myrna and Peter.
Ashford, Peter’s uncle as well as my brother Gideon, remember the impact of that visual with the baby boy with long curls.
Perhaps it was the setting for his eventual outstanding academic achievement of First-Class honours in Political Science from York University in Toronto.
Patrick Taylor, one of Peter’s York University lecturers on hearing of Peter’s passing sent us this email: “Peter was special.
I will always remember the day, many years ago, when he came up to me after a lecture in my first year course to inquire why Jamaican folktales used the tiger as a symbol in the Anancy and Tiger stories and there were no tigers in Africa.”
“I was stumped. He forced me to think. He was a very intelligent, inquisitive and insightful scholar, and a pleasure to talk to and discuss issues with.”
Peter had informal pre school exposures attending classes wherever his mom taught; Freeport Presbyterian, Bamboo Grove and Curepe.
Then to St. Mary’s College where Cyril Collier recognized Peter’s creative skills and initiated him early to the college’s main stage.
From St. Mary’s, the University of the West Indies admitted him to the engineering faculty but the incessant call to literary expression led him to York University to pursue studies in Fine Arts and Political Science.
Then to the University of Toronto where he earned his Master of Arts degree. He was invited to pursue a Master’s in Journalism at the University of Western Ontario but the determination to return home was too powerful.
He enrolled at the University of the West Indies where he was awarded the PhD in Sociology with highest commendation.
His thesis was accepted for publication by UWI press but ill-health in recent years stumped its pursuance.
Peter did significant and outstanding work in media starting with AVM Television, the Independent and Mirror newspapers. Many will remember his weekly column in the Mirror titled SMALL AXE.
He also worked for the Guardian as a sub editor and was promoted to the position of editor but instead took up a position in communications with the Ministry of Planning and Development.
Peter was a founding director of Heritage Communications Limited. He produced together with Ricky Latif memorable documentaries and features for television.
On Friday 9th October, 2010 the Chancellor of the University of the West Indies, Professor the Honourable George Alleyne. conferred the degree of Doctor of Philosophy with high commendation to Peter Hanoomansingh.
The following afternoon, the Chancellor presided over another induction ceremony, the award of the degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa to his dad who is before you today.
My family and I have been comforted by the revelations through facebook postings, telephone calls, emails and personal visits of the tremendous impact Peter had on a wide cross section of Trinidad and Tobago society.
As if with one voice the messages tell of Peter’s academic brilliance, compassion and commitment to a better society.
As a matter of choice though, he preferred the village settings and folk to board and common rooms. His choice community was Rousillac, the place of his mother and maternal family
Music was an essential part of Peter’s existence.
He played the pan and cherished the flutes Hari Om Sharan gave him.
He knew all Bob Marley redemption songs, moved by the lyrics.
Peter was a passionate runner and would run from his Valsayn home to the hills of St. Joseph and Mount St. Benedict.
He completed the marathon one year and did small events in Mayaro and elsewhere. He covered Valsayn almost daily running alone saying it was the time to meditate.
He had good eating habits.
Then came wrenching back pains. Blood test after blood test and x-rays revealed nothing untoward, but Dr. Dayanand pressed on with the revelation that a lurking viper had struck.
It was called multiple myeloma. It first attached his spine affecting his posture and reducing his height. Inside his body it targeted his kidneys.
General Colin Powell who recently passed, talked about the trauma of three days in one week for hospital visits. For Peter, it was four days.
In addition to the doctors Peter looked for alternatives and had a determination to defeat the viper. And he did so for some time with the strength and determination of his Kshytria ancestry.
His quality of life was seriously compromised.
We prayed to the Great Physician.
The viper lurked and hid and attacked.
Our son and brother and uncle and nephew and cousin and friend passed on Saturday.
Was it a victory for the viper?
We are told that we came from God and to him is our eventual return.
“A necessary end” one sage wrote.
Rabindranath Tagore expressed Peter’s sentiments in one of his poems:
Farewell my friends
It was beautiful as long as it lasted
The journey of my life
I have no regrets
The pain i’ll leave behind
Those dear hearts
Who love and care
The strong arms that held me up
When my own strength let me down
The strongest of the arms were his mother’s, 24 hours per day
And his two brothers Kurt and Ravi whom Dr. Chelsea Garcia called
‘The world’s greatest brothers’, and sister-in-law Anipa.
Peter Brian Rajendra, you raised us up at all times, even the most challenging.
Because of your passing we have discovered that the love and admiration for you these 59 years were extended in large measure to a wider societal embrace.
In our hearts you will live on ’till the end of ours.
Rest in peace, beta.
