Dear Editor,
With great sorrow, I read of the passing of Boyo Ramsaroop while on a trip in Mumbai. I join with his family in mourning this wonderful human being. I know him as a selfless and decent human being who gave a lot to our nation. My regret was I was not able to speak with him for long periods of time to learn of his experiences of life in Guyana under the dictatorship and behind the Iron Curtain when he was a student in East Germany.
In one of his chats, he talked about how he wanted to revisit India and that he had bought a sari for his wife who looked elegant in it. He also said one of his relatives in Germany wanted to take him to visit or revisit India.
I met Boyo for the first time in 2005 during a trip to Guyana. He had travelled to NY in the summer of that year seeking to meet with me. Upon finding out that I was in Guyana, he instructed his wife to contact me to applaud my work. When he returned to Guyana, we met.
His wife, Brigitte and his son, Gerhard, were extremely warm to me.
Boyo told me how he wanted to meet me since the late 1980s after reading my comments in the letter pages of SN over a long period of time. He was impressed with my political activism in NY and my polling activities. He also talked about the terrific work done by Dr Baytoram Ramharack and Ravi Dev. He was most impressed with our anti-dictatorial struggle and our continued involvement in the politics of Guyana seeking to improve living conditions in our homeland.
Boyo and his family were among the nicest Guyanese I met during trips to Guyana. I met them again in 2006 and 2007. Brigitte talked about how disenchanted she was with life in Guyana and would remigrate to Germany so her daughter could access a first-class university education. Boyo and I spoke a little about politics and some of the contents of the discussion would be kept confidential. I know he and his wife had/have absolute respect for the late Cheddi Jagan, contrary to what may have been written by a columnist in another paper.
Boyo and Brigitte and the young Gerhard were very active in PPP politics and in cultural activities as well. If I recall correctly, Gerhard had referred to Jagan as “Uncle Cheddi” in a brief conversation we had. Brigitte talked about her abiding love for the Guyanese culture and she herself was deep into Indian culture.
Brigitte and Boyo played prominent roles in the struggle for the restoration of democracy and Boyo himself was a victim of the oppressive dictatorship. And they also helped to promote Guyanese flowers locally and abroad. Boyo deserved an award for his contribution to life in Guyana. Brigitte should be applauded for her tenacity and perseverance during the dictatorship. I think Guyana has lost a talented individual in the passing of Boyo and has suffered an even greater loss in Brigitte returning to Germany.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
