The extraordinarily talented Dr. Hardat Persaud

Jan 17, 2024 Letters

Dear Editor,

There is a side to the late Dr. Hardat Persaud which may only be known to those close to him. He was a master polyglot, proficient in many languages. At Charlestown High School, which he attended before entering Queens College, he was one of the few students who passed O’ Level Spanish with a distinction. So good he was at such a young age that he would converse fluently in Spanish with the Headmaster, Mr. Morris Agrippa.

‘Doc’ was exceptionally brilliant in school. Our mutual friend Mr. Randolph Yarde reminded us that when you lent Hardat a book, he returned it along with an eraser. He would underline large tracts which he needed to commit to memory.

My family owes an enormous debt of gratitude to Dr. Hardat Persaud for his extraordinary kindness to us.

One month before my son wrote his CSEC examinations, his Spanish teacher called a meeting of several parents, including me, and informed us that an assessment of the students’ performance suggested that they may underperform in the examinations.

I immediately sought help from two persons: Donna Levi of the Ministry of Finance, who was a Spanish tutor, and my dear friend, Dr. Hardat Persaud. Both volunteered to assist. ‘Doc’ told me to bring my son to his clinic after school.

I was worried that given Doc’s taxing and tiring daily schedule, whether he would have the time to work with my son. But he did every weekday for the entire month. After the first session, he told me not to worry, “the boy was good.” Yet, he continued to work with him without ever missing a session. My son wrote CSEC Spanish, and the rest is history.

Dr. Hardat Persaud served as both my son’s and my personal physician. His clinic operated on a first-come-first-serve principle, with patients seated in rows on benches. As each patient entered to consult with ‘Doc’, those in line would shift closer to his door. It always brought amusement to observe the expressions on the faces of mothers when I joined them, patiently waiting my turn to see ‘Doc’. Over time, the receptionist affectionately dubbed me the “Big Baby” in the queue.

‘Doc’ was a jovial person and subtle in his sarcasm. One time, he went into a popular shop which was miserly in the use of split peas in the products it offered for sale. Hardat went to the counter and asked for “Pholourie with split peas and Dhal Pouri with split peas.” The shop owner was not pleased at all at the inference.

I know I speak on behalf of his old classmates and friends – including Eddie Tiwari, Derek Junor, Cheddie Jeet, Karl Sawyers, Gordon Dare, Mohamed Imtiaz Karrimullah, Heralall Nandalall and Randolph Yarde – when I say that Dr. Hardat Persaud was a phenomenal doctor and an amazing human being. He will be dearly missed.

Sincerely,

William Cox

Charlestown High School, Dr. Hardat Persaud, Mr. Randolph Yarde, Queens College, William Cox

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