By AMARNAUTH SHAM SAMAROO
The medical profession lost one of its finest on March 22, 2023 with the premature passing of Dr. Dennis Seetall Persaud in North Carolina. He was 64. Seetall was first among equals both as a mensch, and as a doctor. As his nephew, Amit, quite succinctly put it, he was the physicians’ physician. A Guyanese scholar, Seetall was born in Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice. He attended Rosignol High school and in 1980 won a medical scholarship to the Friendship University in Moscow, Russia.
Altruistic by nature, Seetall was imbued with an abiding concern for the well-being of others. We saw early glimpses of this when, after finishing high school, Seetall chose to become a teacher. In Eastern philosophy, original knowledge is considered the Infinite Reality – the First Teacher. The reasoning goes something like this: A child is taught by a teacher, but that teacher was also taught by another teacher. If one were to follow that line of logic, we will eventually get to the Teacher of all teachers – the Infinite. With such a passion for service, the field of medicine as a career choice came naturally to Seetall.
Born into a Hindu home, Seetall practiced bhakti daily, and in the process showed us the true meaning of what it is to be a Hindu. He was a paragon of virtue, the embodiment of son, husband, father, brother, uncle, relative, friend. Seetall’s parents, Thirat and Sumintra Seegobin, are second generation Guyanese of Indian ancestry. He is survived by his loving mother, Sumintra, 85 years young, his dearest wife Ganga, and his two sons, Ryan and Sean, both of whom delivered heart-felt eulogies to their father. His brothers are Ricky Seegobin (sister-in-law Jackie), Terry Seegobin (sister-in-law Patsy), Suresh Balwant (sister-in-law Sunita), and his sisters: Glory Ramnarine (brother-in-law Arnold), Chando Khan (brother-in-law Salim), and Lalita Singh (brother-in-law Vishnu). His nephews are Amit, Rohit, Andrew, Arun, Bobby, Buju, Navin, Sachin, Anil, Omar, Shazim, Randy, Aryan, Arjun, Mukesh, Sachin, Deebas, Jagrit, Parthav, Vijay, Vivek and nieces; Ambika, Amrita, Anjali, Arti, Ahailia, Chuno, Joon, Juno, Muno, Nikita, Pooja, Shrea and Smirti. He was son-in-law to Himadevi Bhattarai, brother-in-law to Dilli Bhattarai (sister-in-law Meera), Dadhiram Bhattarai (sister-in-law Rashmi), Santosh Bhattarai (sister-in law Namrata), Bharat Bhattarai (sister-in-law Mamata), Deepak Bhattarai (sister-in-law Mina), Jamuna Upreti, Lakshmi Upreti (brother-in-law Gopal), Muna Pandey (brother-in-law Kabi), Maya Belbase (brother-in-law Ravi), Manisha Bhattarai, Sabina Tewari (brother-in-law Abinash). Each and every one of you was beyond special to him. Perhaps we can never fathom just how painful his passing must be for you. May the Almighty comfort you.
To those who were privileged to know him, Seetall was a sanctuary of intellectual stimulation and spiritual discourse. The mark of an intelligent mind is the ability to entertain an idea without necessarily accepting it. What stimulating discourses we have enjoyed over the years on philosophy, spirituality, life, love, cricket, the evils of socialist rule: You name it, we talked about it. I will miss those terribly. Seetall also enjoyed social gatherings. He loved to dance and sing whenever the occasion arose – sharing stirring renditions of Indian melodies.
We first met in 1980 as Guyana scholars going to Russia on a United Nations scholarship. What a wonderful time that was for two twenty-year olds: footloose and fancy free without a care in the world except to maintain our grades! The first time we met, as we say in Guyana, our spirits took. From that moment on, ours was a very special friendship, first in Russia and later America where that friendship blossomed into family. In New York, we often visited each other’s homes, and soon we were part of each other’s families. His mom loves me like a son, and our first meeting still holds a very special thrill for me. You see, my mom was also from Berbice but neither my siblings nor I ever knew our maternal grandparents – they died before any of us were born. Seetall’s mom knew my maternal grandparents. What a delightful surprise that was for me! Yet another surprise was upon learning that his nephews, Omar and Rohit and niece, Amrita, were attending Queens Gateway, one of the premier secondary schools in New York where I was the Assistant Principal. Talk about a small world!
For over 42 years I was privileged to have been his friend. Seetall was one of the kindest human beings I have ever met. Despite the many challenges of living and studying in Russia and America, he stayed true to the values and traditions taught to him by his parents. Daily he practiced Karma yoga, working without expectation of reward or recognition. Seetall showed us how to live selflessly with love, kindness, and compassion. He has departed this world but his life is his enduring message. Hindus believe that the atman, the soul, is immortal.
The Bhagavad Gita, perhaps India’s greatest gift to the world, teaches that the soul never dies for it was never born, and Lord Shiva is the bridge from death to immortality. My dear brother, Shivoham, Shivoham: you are now one with Lord Shiva. Walk good until we meet again.
