TT’s golden radio voice falls silent in Canada

POPULAR radio announcer Vijay Laxhmi Seukeran died in Ontario, Canada at 10 am on Wednesday, after suffering a mild heart attack last Sunday.

He was 71.

He was known as the man with the “golden voice,” a patriot and a beloved son of TT.

Seukeran started his broadcasting career in 1971 at 24, with 610AM Radio, as a trainee announcer. In 1977, he became the manager of 610AM Radio’s San Fernando office.

He interrupted his broadcasting career to venture into the political field when he contested the Siparia Constituency on an Organisation for National Reconstruction ticket in 1981, but lost. Some years later he contested another seat, this time in Chaguanas, for the People’s National Movement and also lost.

Seukeran returned to radio, at Radio Trinidad in Port of Spain, where he produced and presented a variety of shows, including You Are on Air, The Calypso Jam, Saga of Toyota and Amar and The Contributors.

After 15 years, he went on to Manage Gem Radio 93.5 FM, and Superior Radio 94.1 FM. He then co-founded and co-managed 104.7 MORE FM with Robert Amar.

Seukeran was the father of seven children, Nigel and Joanne from his first marriage to Janice, and, with his second wife Nisa — who once worked for Newsday, Cyanne, Clint, Christoff, Celeste and Chantal. He will be cremated on Sunday in Canada.

Nisa and Nigel said Seukeran started ailing after a first, massive heart attack on his birthday in April. Nigel, who last spoke to his father on Monday, said his death has been hard on the family, and they are all trying to meet in Canada for the funeral.

He also said his father was one of the first broadcasters to bring East Indian music to radio, with his show Moods of Sunset on Radio 610.

He also recalled his father being MC at Calypso Fiesta in Skinner Park in San Fernando. Once, while he was doing so, a bomb went off under the stage — but Seukeran was unhurt and unfazed.

Nigel remembered too, going with his father to cover the Great Race, and J’Ouvert in San Fernando, then, in 1990, his father escaping from a radio station, having left to pick him up from an extracurricular activity. “In my opinion he was one of the pioneers of radio,” concluded Nigel.

Seukeran’s cousin and former San Fernando West MP Diane Seukeran said: “He was a great radio announcer, a wonderful voice and a politician.

“It’s sad, but that is life. God is good in not allowing him to suffer for long.”

Poking a little fun, Diane said while her cousin loved politics, politics didn’t really like him. More seriously, she said her cousin was one of the best platform speakers.

“And so he could put political licks on opponents.”

She said he also sang like a lark.

“He will be so missed. He was a beautiful human being. It’s a terrible loss to our family. We grew up together like brother and sister and we had a wonderful childhood.” Seukeran and Diane were the children of brothers Lionel and Carl Seukeran. Seukeran’s wife Nisa said she knew him for 46 years and they were married for 36 of those years. Twenty years ago she migrated to Canada, while her husband travelled back and forth, working at 104.7 More FM.