AS he performed the final rites over the body of the late Dr Romesh Mootoo, pundit Surendra Maharaj broke protocol to ask mourners to applaud him for the wonderful and outstanding life of service he lived.

He said Mootoo, 86, lived a wonderful life and fulfilled his duties as a husband, father, grandfather, doctor, politician and friend.

“What we do in this life, others will emulate and follow. Certainly, Dr Mootoo has left much for us to emulate and follow in this world.”

Mootoo, who served as a senator and mayor of San Fernando during the tenure of the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR), died last Friday of covid19.

His body was cremated after a funeral at J E Guides Funeral Home, San Fernando, on Thursday morning.

Glowing tributes were paid to Mootoo, who was remembered for his daring personality, driving and crashing his father’s new Pontiac as an unlicensed teenager, and his sense of humour.

[caption id="attachment_991189" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Children of Dr Romesh Mootoo, former Mayor of San Fernando, say a final prayer at the conclusion of the funeral service held at J E Guides funeral home on Coffee Street San Fernando. The service was officiated by Surendra Maharaj - Photo by Lincoln Holder[/caption]

His love of family, cigarettes and wine, his golfing, magical and oratory skills and lifetime membership of the “F-Club” – Friendship Club – were continuoally repeated.

Mootoo’s cousin Dr Robin Rajcoomar recalled he was a member of the International Magician Association, quipping that he was such a good magician, sometimes he disappeared for days and not even his late wife, Indra, knew where he was.

His son Dr Ramesh Mootoo Jr spoke of his remarkable vocabulary, saying this was developed because he was often compared to his cousin, Nobel laureate VS Naipaul, causing him to read the Oxford dictionary from cover to cover.

[caption id="attachment_991185" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Dr Winston Dookerna friend of Dr Romesh Mootoo, former Mayor of San Fernando, pays tribute at the funeral service held at J.E Guides funeral home on Coffee street San Fernando. The service was officiated by Surendra Maharaj. - Photo by Lincoln Holder[/caption]

In his tribute, close friend and political colleague Winston Dookeran said his death marked the end of a flamboyant career in politics, a memorable practice in medicine, a strong advocate for a good society and a dedicated family man. He said Mootoo’s children would agree that his was a “story of magical powers.”

He said Mootoo had built the Surgi-Med Medical Centre when such facilities were scarce in San Fernando, and often treated patients free of charge.

“From early, he expressed the magical power of a visionary. First, in his children, as he and Indra nourished their individual unique talents.

“In politics, he also had that magical power and discussed openly his political secrets with his friends, the late Drs Ivan Perot, Sankar Moonan and Ian Seukeran, often at Marsang’s Restaurant, Todd Street, San Fernando, on Friday eve