Prakash Gossai was born into a large family to parents Bissondial and Rewti Gossai on April 25,1953 at Handsome Tree, Mahaica Creek, Guyana. He attended Cummings’ Lodge Government School on the East Coast where he took his GCE ‘O’ level examinations. After leaving school, his first job was a teaching position at Vryheid’s Lust Government School. He later went to the University of Guyana and graduated as the Top Student in the Faculty of Natural Sciences. With an interest in medicine, he worked at the Laboratory of the Georgetown Public Hospital until he migrated to the USA in 1983.
Shri Prakash Gossai
Having a keen interest in music and a melodious singing voice, then teenager Prakash joined the Mahatma Gandhi Youth Organisation in Georgetown where he continued playing the harmonium and developing his singing skills. There he received musical guidance and training from Darshanandji. In 1981 he competed in the annual Mukesh Singing Competition and was declared the winner with list of prizes including a trip to Canada. In Guyana, Prakash also attended many Yagyas with Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud and a number of Guyana’s top singers and musicians.
In addition to singing bhajans,he usually played the harmonium as Pt. Persaud chanted from the Ramayan. Gossai also sang a number of film songs and devotionals at satsangs, yagyas, melas, bazaars and cultural programmes at Queen’s College. He also performed regularly on Radio Demerara Sunday afternoon Indian music hour shows appearing with some of Guyana’s best Indian musical talent to include the late musical maestro Onkar Singh, his brother Vickram Singh who played the dholak and tabla, Gobin Ram, Mohan Nandu, David Singh, William Balgobin and others.
In 1975 he married Leila Singh from Pomeroon who is the daughter of Sukhdeo Singh and Roodranie Singh and they have two children, son Arun and daughter Pratiksha.
In 1983, Prakashji left for Queens, New York to receive the Medal of Service from President Jagdeo in the United States of America where he began teaching Marine Biology with the New York Board of Education where he interacted with many Hindu youths. In 1984, he saw the need for a Hindu group and together with other Hindus started devotions in the basement of a building on Stanhope St. in Brooklyn.
Gossai would fill in with chanting or a simple katha when persons scheduled to deliver religious lessons did not show up. Eventually, his reputation as a singer and the Mandir he founded grew. In 1987, The Bhuvaneshwar Mandir was founded and established in Brooklyn, and was later relocated to a new venue in Ozone Park, Queens in 2004. The Mandir became recognised as one of the foremost Indian-Guyanese Hindu temples.
In 1992, he gave up his Science career to follow a spiritual life. He recognized that devotees from the West Indies did not understand Hindi so he adopted the method of explaining religious concepts in song and simple language.
His most popular and favorite composition is “Aaye Bhi Akela, Jaye Bhi Akela – man comes into this world alone and leaves alone”. He has also recorded a number of Ramayan chantings and discourses. He was an excellent harmonium player and spent time teaching young people at the Mandir. His popularity as a singer was instrumental in him singing at many religious gatherings, and Mandirs regularly invited him to sing for fundraising ventures. He received an award of Lifetime Membership from Devi Mandir in recognition for his fundraising contributions to the Mandir.
In 1993, Shri Prakash went to India to study with his Guru, Brahmrishi Vishvatma Bawra Ji Maharaj of Pinjore, Haryana, India. In the hermitage he spent the better part of the next year receiving teachings from Swamiji. He has traveled and lectured widely, speaking to capacity audiences in many temples and other venues in the United States, Canada, England, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and has returned several times to his homeland of Guyana.
On April 19, 2002 Shri Prakash was recognized at the Devi Mandir in Pickering, Ontario, Canada for his contribution to the Canadian Hindu community. He was presented with an award from the Premier of Ontario and the Honorable John Hastings, Member of Provincial Parliament for his contribution to the Hindu community in the Province of Ontario, Canada. The Federation of Hindu Temples also presented him with an award for his dedication, commitment and support to the Hindu Temples of Canada. In 2002, the Government of Guyana presented Prakash with the Medal of Service award on the anniversary of Guyana’s Independence, for his positive contribution and commitment to his native land.
In 2007 he was appointed Special Assistant to the President in the Office of the President and later on Chairman of the National Council on Suicide Prevention, established by the Ministry of Health.
Shri Prakash Gossai passed away on June 15 2009, at the age of Fifty Six (66) in The United States of America.
Article References:
- https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2009/07/02/shri-prakash-gossai-was-also-an-educator/
- http://guyanachronicle.com/2009/06/16/shri-prakash-gossai-2
- https://www.stabroeknews.com/2009/news/guyana/06/16/shri-prakash-gossai-dies/
