1 year after Kenya attack, Ravi rememberedBy Susan Mohammed susan.mohammed@trinidadexpress.com
Story Created: Sep 21, 2014 at 11:03 PM ECT
Ravi Ramrattan
STILL searching for a silver lining behind the dark cloud.
This was the feeling of Parbattee Ramrattan yesterday as she and her family observed the one year anniversary of the slaying of her son, scholar Ravi Ramrattan, 31, during a terrorist attack in Nairobi, Kenya.
The family last evening held an intimate gathering of family members around a monument erected in his memory and planted in a garden in the front of his home at Munroe Road, Cunupia.
This followed a three-night Satsang (gathering of persons for reading of Hindu scriptures and meditation) and then Bhandara (Hindu last rites) held on August 27 to 30 at the home in Ramrattan’s memory.
Parbatee Ramrattan said several of her son’s friends and work colleagues travelled from Kenya, South Africa, the United States and Canada to attend the Hindu memorial.
She said she was told that other groups were gathering across the world yesterday to remember and pay tribute to her son.
“Today, just the immediate family will be getting together in memory of Ravi, and say a word of prayer and pay tribute to him. We might look at some videos of him that we got from Kenya. We are of course missing him and wishing things were different”, said Parbatee Ramrattan.
“On Facebook there’s a page set up in his memory and it says there are small groups gathering in memory of him in the US, England and Africa. Last month several of friends came and it was lovely to remember him”, she said.
On a Facebook profile titled “Where is Ravi?” there has been posted pictures of him by his friends, their visit to Trinidad for his memorial, and information on the Ravi Ramarattan Memorial Fund which sought to raise 10,000 pounds aimed at further work in poverty alleviation.
IN HIS HONOUR: Friends of slain scholar Ravi Ramrattan, stand around a monument and waterfall established in his honour at his home in Cunupia. His family said that symbolises his econometric skills which he used to solve world problems, the waterfall represents his knowledge gently overflowing where it was needed and the colours represent his cheerfulness and brilliance. It also represents their love for him.
The mother cried as she recalled that her son’s life was sacrificed during the terrorist attack.
“I miss my son. We still grieve for him. We wish that what happened did not happen. We do not think that it was fair. We look at the amazing things that he has done and look for comfort. There is a saying that behind every dark cloud there is a silver lining. So we are still waiting for that silver lining. I always tell myself that nothing or no one can make up for him.
