Article written by Veersen Bhooai, March 29, 2020
How many people have ever had a chance to see a legend grow up? To watch a young Muhamad Ali,
Diego Maradona or Michael Jordan slowly progress to iconic status.
For those of us who lived in Trinidad & Tobago in the nineteen seventies and eighties, some were lucky to see the evolution of a young Brian Charles Lara before becoming the Prince of Port of Spain.
I have travelled the world and nothing can turn a conversation on its head like saying you know Brian Lara. I have received discounts from restaurants and even tours of hotels letting me know that “Brian is very welcome.”
I remember the first time I saw him, it was September, 1981 and I looked over at a Form I class. I saw this very short fellow and were it not for the school uniform, I would have sworn he was six years old. He was well under five feet.
The following week, a student stopped me in the inner court of the school and pointed to him, “Bhoolai, you see that little fellah. His name is Brian Lara and he played for the TT U-12 Football Team.” I thought to myself, that short man must be good.
