Street in Ozone Park co-named Shri Prakash Gossai Way

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District Leader, Richard David, Councilmember Eric Ulrich, Assemblywoman Jennifer Rajkumar, son and daughter of late Shri Prakash Gossai, Acharya Arun Gossai and Riya Gossai, and Queens Borough President, Donovan Richards joined to celebrate the life and legacy of the Hindu priest, at the street co-naming ceremony in Ozone Park, Queens.
Office of Councilmember Ulric Ulrich

Councilman Eric Ulrich, representing district 32 in Queens, recently joined the Bhuvaneshwar Mandir, in Ozone Park, to celebrate the legacy of Shri Prakash Gossai during a ceremony to unveils the sign as 86th Street and 101 Avenue co-named for the late spiritual leader, who founded the Temple in Brooklyn in 1984

The Guyanese-born Hindu leader, who migrated to Queens in the 1980s, established the first Mandir in Ozone Park and quickly became a leader in the NYC Hindu community. His services regularly saw more than 1,000 people in attendance. When he passed away in 2009, more than 10,000 people attended his funeral. A few years later, in 2013, mourners held a 13-hour ceremony in remembrance of his life. At the service, a rotating shift of musicians played 108 bhajans (hymns).

The sign commemorating the street co-naming sits on 86th Street at the southwest corner of 101 Avenue in Ozone Park. In 2018 Councilman Ulrich sponsored legislation in the New York City Council legally giving 86th Street between 101 Avenue and 102 Avenue a second name: “Shri Prakash Gossai Way.”

“Shri Prakash Gossai was a dear friend. We first met before I was elected to the City Council,” recalled Councilman Eric Ulrich. “He was a deeply respected religious leader, across all faiths. He was also a community leader who helped make Richmond Hill and Ozone Park better places to live, work, and raise a family. It’s wonderful that this street will now forever bear his memory and name.”

“Our hearts are filled in the Gossai family and the Bhuvaneshwar Mandir family with the co-naming of 86th Street in honor of our beloved leader, Shri Prakash Gossai. He devoted his entire life to improving our community, uplifting our culture and making New York City the mosaic we have called home for decades,” his wife Acharya Leila Gossai said. “We miss him everyday, and we thank Council Member Ulrich for consistently being there for our family.”

“Shri Prakash Gossai was a staple in Richmond Hill, and was a beacon of light for Hindus across many neighborhoods. When he died in 2009, it sent shockwaves through the entire Indo-Guyanese community,” State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. said. “Gossai was an integral part of our community, and now through this street naming he will be a part of this community that he loved so much forever. I congratulate Gossai’s family, friends and congregation on this fantastic honor.”

“Shri Prakash Gossai dedicated his life to serving the spiritual needs of South Queens and was an inspiration to so many across The World’s Borough and beyond,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “Not only will his legacy will forever live on along 86th Street outside the Bhuvaneshwar Mandir he founded, his teachings and his memory will live on in the hearts of so many of our families.”

“As the first Hindu-American ever elected to a New York State Office, I am honored to support the historic naming of Shri Prakash Gossai Way. A great Hindu kindness. I stand on his shoulders and hope to honor his legacy through my public service,” said Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar. “As the Hindu-American community grows in influence, the next step is to make Diwali a school holiday in New York City. I have introduced legislation in the State Capitol to make that happen.”

“We are indebted to Shri Prakash Gossai for his countless contributions to Hinduism, to his music which is popular on YouTube even today, and to the founding of the Bhuvaneshwar Mandir,” said Community Leader, Richard David. “This corner of Ozone Park will forever honor his memory, and I’m happy to have played a role with this historic co-naming.”

“Prakash Gossai was my friend and a beloved community member and Hindu leader. I worked with the Indo-Caribbean Alliance to honor him with this co-naming,” said Community Leader, Latchman Budhai. “I’m thrilled to see this and to be a part of this day.”