Broadcaster and communications specialist Dr Rovin Deodat was remembered on Tuesday as a gifted teacher who used radio to inform, entertain and bring people across Guyana together.
Family members, former colleagues and others from the media paid tribute to him at his funeral service at the Brickdam Cathedral. Among those present were his wife Barbara, daughter Rovina, former Prime Minister Hamilton Green and past and present broadcasters. A Guyana Defence Force sergeant stood beside his casket with the Golden Arrow of Achievement, which Deodat received for his service to broadcasting.
His brother Haresh Deodat said Rovin began teaching at 19 and spent three years in the classroom before joining the Guyana Broadcasting Service as an announcer in 1970. Teaching remained central to his work on radio, through programmes including Have You Ever Wondered?, Watch Your Language and From Word to Word.
“His gift to us was to enlighten us,” Haresh said, recalling that his brother was born Rovindradat, a name he said meant a gift from the Sun God. Rovin was the eighth of 11 children born to Jagranie and Deodat. He later shortened his name for broadcasting because many listeners found Rovindradat difficult to pronounce.
Haresh recalled that, even before joining radio, his older brother owned a tape recorder and practised reading aloud. The younger children would use it when he was away.
“We would read into the recorder, play it back, fascinated by the sound of our voice but no matter how hard we tried to imitate him we could not,” he said. “His voice was distinctive, confident, unforgettable. Years later that same voice would become one of the most well-known voices in Guyana.”
Deodat hosted The Breakfast Show until 1977 and went on to hold senior broadcasting posts. His work also took him to the CARICOM Secretariat and the University of Guyana, where he lectured. Haresh said he served as an adviser to national leaders and worked on educational programmes, documentaries, public awareness campaigns, school quizzes and broadcast training.
But his brother’s skill lay in more than having a recognisable voice, Haresh said. Whether addressing a public gathering, teaching or comforting someone, Deodat could find words suited to the occasion. “His words carried meaning because they came from both knowledge and care for others,” he said. “It wasn’t the sound of his voice that made him special, it was the way he used it.”
In later years, Deodat took particular pride in helping to establish radio stations in hinterland communities. Haresh said his brother understood how important radio was to villages far from the coast and spoke warmly of the people he met during that work.
Mix FM Guyana technical manager Shameer Ali said he first met Deodat as a schoolchild taking part in a quiz at the Guyana Broadcasting Corporation. They met again when Ali interned there after leaving school, beginning a lasting friendship and professional relationship.
“He was a mentor who contributed to my development,” Ali said. Deodat’s interest, he recalled, extended beyond the programmes and technical work to the people who made broadcasting possible. Ali also remembered his generosity in helping his wife, Michella, take on the role of mistress of ceremonies at Independence anniversary celebrations.
National Communications Network Chief Executive Officer Neaz Subhan also paid tribute at the service. Officiating, Monsignor Terrence Montrose said that although Deodat’s voice had been silenced, his teachings would live on through his students and those he mentored.
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