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THE late Independent Senator Deoroop Teemal, 68, had been ill for some time before his passing on August 3, unbeknown to many friends and acquaintances, his widow Geeta Teemal told Newsday on August 5. Teemal, former head of the National Council for Indian Culture (NCIC), will be given a send-off at the Divali Nagar, Chaguanas, on August 6 at 9 am and thence to the Caroni Cremation Site for 11.30 am.

Geeta, along with the couple’s daughter Kaajal, told Newsday how touched they were by the volume and sincerity of tributes to Teemal, including one person saying his life had been changed by the late cultural champion. Newsday met the relatives at their St Augustine home on August 5.

Geeta said, “He had been ailing for some time, within the past few months. It all happened very fast. The deterioration, in terms of his health, had happened quite rapidly.