Guyana’s businesswoman, Lyla Kissoon, died on July 11, 2025. She was 95 years old, born on February 19, 1930, to Amin and Zohora Sankar. Mrs Kissoon had eight siblings and was the second eldest. Lyla co-founded The Kissoon Group of Companies in Guyana.

Legacy of Grace and Grit

Honouring the Lives of Mrs. Zohora Sankar and Her Daughter, Mrs. Lyla Kissoon

In Guyana’s business and social scene, two names would be most prominent: Mrs. Zohora Sankar and her daughter, Mrs. Lyla Kissoon. They embody a legacy of perseverance, generosity, and distinction that spanned generations.

Zohora Sankar: Breaking Barriers in Business and Society

Long before her daughter became a household name, Mrs. Zohora Sankar, affectionately called Mami or Joree Mami, was already trailblazing as one of Guyana’s earliest and most successful businesswomen. With ventures spanning rice, lumber, sugar, dry goods, coconuts, cinemas, and automobile dealerships (including DeSoto, Datsun, and the prestigious Mercedes-Benz), she redefined the possibilities for women and Indo-Guyanese entrepreneurs alike.

Born in Novar to Sri Kishun Chan and Soneah Chan (née Allison), Zohora belonged to a prominent family with siblings including Mohamed Saffee, Mohamed Razak, Mohamed Haniff, Mohamed Samah, Mohamed Hashim, Batool Majeed (also known as Baba), and Shamyune Gafoor.

In 1930, she and her husband, Mr. Amin Sankar, purchased Waterloo Plantation in Suriname, becoming arguably the first East Indian couple in the world to own and operate a world-class sugar estate. Two years later, in the height of colonial rule, they shattered another glass ceiling, becoming the first East Indian family to reside on Main Street in Georgetown, then an enclave reserved for European elites.

From their stately home at 50 Main Street, they would launch Sankar Brothers Inc., a formidable business dynasty. They also secured residences at 51 Main Street for their son, Yusuf Sankar, and a home on Lamaha Street for their eldest son, Raja Amin Sankar.

Zohora’s business instincts were razor-sharp. Beyond dealerships and dry goods, the family acquired major estates across Guyana: Hope Estate (Demerara), Park Estate (Mahicony), Maida (Corentyne), and Affiance (Essequibo). Her beloved Hope Estate, managed by her youngest son, Fuad Sankar, became a centre of coconut cultivation with over 10,000 trees planted. “It was the happiest time of her life,” the family recalls, until 1978, when the Burnham government confiscated and destroyed the estate and its grand mansion.

Her contributions extended beyond commerce. She was an exceptional cook, selected to prepare meals for Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during her 1966 visit to Guyana. She also established the first air-conditioned horse stables on Main Street in the 1950s and imported champion horses from Newmarket, England. Among them: Malayan Prince, Fighting Scot, Disarm, Tynant, and Judgement. Her jockeys included Manuel Gonzalves, Basil Naidoo, and Mice Lutchman. They helped her achieve the historic feat of winning all five A-Class races in a single meet.

In 1958, during Princess Margaret’s royal visit, the Sankars’ elegant DeSoto Firesweep (PG 88) was chosen to chauffeur the princess. The two-tone grey and maroon car turned heads, and the event also introduced Uncle Yusuf to his future wife, Janet Tekkah, the Governor’s Secretary.

Mrs. Sankar’s religious devotion was equally profound. She oversaw the construction of mosques at several estates, including Hope and Waterloo (Suriname), and donated surrounding land to the Muslim community. Several family members, including her daughter, Maryam (the author’s grandmother, also known as Marry Bowjee), are buried there.

Internationally respected, Mr. and Mrs. Sankar were the only invitees from the British West Indies at the 1952 royal visit of Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands to Suriname.

Lyla Kissoon: A Daughter Who Carried the Torch

Lyla Sankar was raised in this environment of high expectations and high achievement. She grew up in a world of business strategy and social responsibility alongside her siblings: Amna, Amina (also known as Betty), Ayesha, Salima, Raja Amin, Yusuf, and Fuad.

Her mother’s example had a profound impact on Aunt Lyla. After her first marriage to Mr. Alston Kissoon, her father provided her with a $40,000 business loan, which she dutifully repaid. But Amin Sankar never cashed the cheque—a symbolic gesture of trust and support. It remained in his safe until his death.

Aunt Lyla would go on to lead A.H. & L. Kissoon Ltd., transforming it into one of Guyana’s most resilient and respected furniture and dry goods companies. During Guyana’s most turbulent economic and political times, she endured the state seizure of land, such as her mother’s Hope Estate and her own Takuba Lodge property, which is now the site of the Foreign Ministry. Regardless, she never left Guyana. She stayed, endured, and persevered.

Her leadership style blended discipline with empathy. In A History of Indians in Guyana, Dwarka Nath described her as:

“The most outstanding [Indian businesswoman] is Mrs. L. Kissoon… She runs her commercial enterprises with efficiency and skill.”

Her siblings’ accomplishments were equally distinguished.

• Amna became a barrister-at-law from Oxford.
• Ayesha became a doctor in Switzerland.
• Fuad became a prominent lawyer in the UK.
• Yusuf – Self-Employed
• Raja – Self-Employed
• Salima – Self-Employed 
• Amina (Betty) passed her exams for Oxford to study journalism, but her father insisted on medicine or law instead, a testament to the constraints of the era. Amina pursued a successful career in journalism.

A Personal Connection

I (the author) remember Aunt Lyla fondly. I met her at a horse racing event in Corentyne, where she was introduced to me by my father, whom she fondly called Esau Bhaiya. She referred to me as “son,” a name I cherished. For my mother’s wedding in 1955, Aunt Lyla gifted her a stove, refrigerator, and furniture, symbols of her enduring generosity.

She hosted me twice at the iconic Park Hotel, constantly reminding me to “eat and have a good time.” Over the years, I’d visit her at her Main Street home, always welcomed with warmth and familiarity.

A Brother’s Farewell: Tribute from Fuad Sankar

The final word belongs to Fuad Sankar, the youngest and only surviving sibling, who shared a moving reflection following Lyla’s passing in July 2025:

“My dear sister Lyla was born on a sugar plantation in Suriname, a historic feat as our father was the first Indo-Caribbean to own a sugar estate in 1930. She moved with our parents to Main Street in 1932, at a time when only Europeans lived there. From the start, she was breaking barriers.”

“When my parents were away, she was my caregiver—my surrogate mother. On her visits to London while I studied law, she would lovingly wash my hair, clean my shirts, and never pry. She would always hand me £100 in traveller’s cheques—an enormous sum in the 1960s.”

“In 1963, heartbroken after a breakup, I returned home. Lyla welcomed me like a mother. When our mother protested, she still invited me to dinner every other day. One day, she took me for a drive, laid my head on her shoulder, and said, ‘You will get over everything in time.’ And she was right.”

“We drifted after her beloved Alston passed in 1966. I became ill with cancer. She too became ill. We could no longer comfort each other. But then, her son Christopher called me, and out of the blue, called me ‘Uncle Feddie,’ the nickname she alone used. That moment shattered me.”

“Christopher promised to stay in touch, and every time I hear that name, I will feel Lyla near. On the day of her funeral, by God’s will and the hands of five doctors, I was declared cancer-free. Lyla, I know you would have been happy to hear that.”

“You’ve started a different journey now. But I know we’ll meet again, and reclaim the joys of brother and sisterhood. Thank you for everything. I love you.”

A Final Word

In honouring Mrs. Zohora Sankar and Mrs. Lyla Kissoon, we don’t just recount the story of a mother and daughter; we celebrate a lineage of vision, resilience, and profound humanity. These women not only broke barriers in business, but they also nurtured their families, faith, and communities in times of both triumph and loss.

Guyana owes them, and the Sankar family, a lasting debt of gratitude.