Dear Editor,
Today 22nd March, 2021, I received a telephone call from overseas advising me of the passing of Mr. D. P. Sankar, who died in California, U.S.A, where he resided in recent years.
“DP” by which he was known, and called by his friends and colleagues of the sugar industry, played a leading role in Industrial Relations matters of the industry in an environment then fertile with conflict which often led to strike action, protests and other pitfalls. In his various roles, he eventually became a Director. Mr. Sankar was often under pressure given the determination and strength of organized labour through active unions.
I remember DP as a knowledgeable and assertive person, fully informed of the labour laws of the land and cognisant of the aspirations of workers who were aware of the sufferings and exploitations of sugar workers in the years gone by; while recognizing the forms of alleviation and progress being made which reflected the pronouncement of Sir Jock Campbell, then Head of the Booker’s Empire “that people are more important than shops, ships and sugar estates.”
The first question which jumped to my mind on hearing of his passing was – Did he die from the Corona Virus? The answer was NO. DP will be remembered by Guyanese in all walks of life.
Sincerely,
Vibert Parvatan