radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
The streets of San Fernando will be transformed with the splendour of Carnivalon Friday when mourners say a final farewell to the King of Indian Mas, Lionel Jagessar Sr who died last Saturday.
In an interview with Guardian Media on Thursday, his wife Rosemarie Kuru-Jagessar said just as he led masqueraders through the city streets every year for Carnival, Jagessar will lead again on Friday, for the final time.
His body will be driven from Guides Funeral Home, along Coffee Street to Gransaul Street, where final rites will be performed before proceeding to the Paradise Cemetery.
Rosemarie said she wanted to give her husband the send-off he deserved.
“He has done so much not only for our culture but also for the various islands we visited,” she said with tears in her eyes.
Under his humble wooden home at Gransaul Street, Jagessar fashioned elaborate mas, which won prizes around the world. His trophies were too many to fit on the shelves.
Rosemarie said Jagessar never hesitated to share his knowledge and would spend hours teaching his art form to students without charge.
Scholars, including Dr Gabriella Hosein, studied the artform under the tutelage of the iconic masman who shared his traditions and skills in wire bending, beading, and sewing costumes.
Rosemarie said he reached out to anyone who needed help.
“He could talk the same way to a vagrant and the Prime Minister. He was the most kindest person I knew, right down to the end,” she added.
She said after her husband was diagnosed with an illness last February he tried to prepare them for his death but she refused to believe it.
“Her tell me, Rosie, I’m going to leave you. I said no, you not going anywhere yet,” she recalled. She said Jagessar was hospitalised for 15 days at the Augustus Long Hospital and recovered from COVID but when he came home he had lost a lot of weight.
She said she prayed for him not to suffer and last Thursday, he cupped her face and kissed her on the forehead. Before his death, he told them he did not want to be dressed up as a masman in his coffin.
Rather, he wanted to wear a suit. He expressed a desire for a grand Carnival send-off and wanted to rest near the grave of his deceased father, who was also a prolific masman.
Jagessar’s son Junior said they will fulfil all of his father’s wishes. He said since the passing, people have been visiting and calling to show support.
Saying his father’s legacy will live on, Junior said Jagessar had already designed the Carnival portrayals for the 2023 Carnival.
“He looked forward to Carnival but unfortunately he did not make it. We lived together like brothers over the past 15 years, doing everything together. We always had conversations about what we were looking forward to and we want to give him that last honour,” Junior said.
He had this message for people wanting to attend the funeral.
“Anyone can come in any way you want to come whether they have a costume or not. He never judged anybody so if you don’t have a costume come with slippers, anything you need,” he said.
Jagessar was a recipient of a Humming Bird Silver Medal Award in 1999 and was known internationally as one of the most prolific mas designers in T&T.