Dear Editor,
The country lost two legal luminaries this month — Judges Prem Persaud and Nandram Kissoon. They were in a sort of way legal institutions serving the nation for decades on the bench and in other capacities. They were eminent and respected judges.

They had tremendous knowledge of the law and had great skills on the bench, as lawyers told me. Hardly anyone could be more worthy of being lawyers and judges than them. Lawyers are inspired by their eloquence.
I was fortunate to meet both separately long after they left the bench. I was left in awe by their legal knowledge and sharpness in thought.

They were extremely bright and well read on the law (of legal judgments at the Privy Council, UK Supreme Court, and the supreme courts in India, Australia and elsewhere). They rattled off rulings of precedent setting cases in the UK and India.

They were familiar with all the tall figures in law in India such as the late Judge Singhvi and late senior advocate and law minister Ram Jethmalani. I was also dumbstruck by the depth of knowledge of Hinduism, its many scriptures and its philosophical underpinnings, of Shri Nandram Kissoon.

He, like his politician brother, was distinguished from so many other Indian intellectuals by his depth of knowledge of Hinduism and Indian political thought. I have not come across many who knew the Hindu scriptures as well as him and his brother Jailall — absolutely brilliant scholars in the Hindu scriptures and philosophy and on Indian political thought and Hindu thinkers.

As best as I could remember and from what lawyers who practiced before them said the duo did not compromise their integrity.
They were praiseworthy of those of us in the diaspora who championed free and fair elections in Guyana, and who lobbied the international community to help restore democratic rule in Guyana.

Prem Persaud and Nandram Kissoon were very warm and friendly to me. Prem Persaud had a lot of institutional knowledge of politics as well as culture. Some time ago, Dr Baytoram Ramharack had started writing the biography of Mr Prashad who founded Prashad Nagar.

I suggested he speak with Prem Persaud, son-in-law of Prashad. I informed Prem Persaud to expect a call from Dr Ramharack. Prem was very helpful and the biography is now at press and will be out soon. Nandram invited me to his farm in Hope, but I never found time as I was always tied up with one research project or another.

Prem Persaud and Nandram Kissoon will be long remembered for their warmth, friendliness, incisive thinking, and intellect and competence in law. My belated sympathy to their families.
Yours sincerely,
Vishnu Bisram