Page 17 - Seniorstoday February 2022 Issue

is an equaliser that touches every aspect thrown all of us into an unparalleled state
of human existence — cultural, spiritual,
social, economic, legal and financial. Yet,
the government seems to ignore these very
aspects of human existence. Covid-19 has
exposed the glitches in pour systems and
the need for a creative, effective and lasting
solution to dealing with a pandemic like
situation.
For those marginalised in life, death,
often adds insult to injury. During the
pandemic, due to the sheer scale of bodies
lying in wait for their last rites, people were
unable to cremate/ bury their dead. There
were bodies buried on the banks of the
Ganga which got exposed once the area got
flooded. Imagine the guilt of the son who
couldn’t afford wood for the funeral and
in the middle of the night and was forced
to bury his dad in the sand on the banks
of the river. The pandemic also showed
us destitute funerals where two or three
bodies were cremated together. The whole
world watched in disbelief the images of
numerous pyres burning on the roads and
wherever a place could be found. The image
of India took a huge beating.
The way we are currently handling
the most difficult moments in life— that
of dying, death and grief, all too often
results in dissatisfaction and distress for
the family. Unfulfilled emotions, unsaid
last goodbyes and unsatisfying funeral
services are distraught situations which
have become de rigueur. Covid-19 has
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #32 | FEBRUARY 2022
of ‘stress of grief ’. The funeral restriction
of not allowing all near and dear ones to be
together in the last hours, at a time when
you most need the support and comfort
from your family and friens is devastating.
The pain just lingers on. The death of a
loved one is the hardest thing any of us can
go through.
The pandemic has changed the way we
die but let’s not forget that even death has
a right to its own valour, dignity and self-
respect.
The diversity and different traditions of
the various communities in India with each
one’s funeral rituals being unique to their
custom and tradition, have been forced to
alter their rituals. Equal rights in life as
in death, is a fundamental duty that our
government must consider as a priority
mandate. Our approach to death needs to
be relooked in order to build better death
care services and last rites. It is incumbent
for the government to look into funeral
services and to meet the emotional needs
of families. Most of us at sometime or the
other have been to a crematorium with
shabby broken toilets, leaky faucets, smoke
and tobacco stained walls, uncomfortable
seating arrangements, sometimes open
drains, emotionless attendants trying to get
the better of you.
Why can’t the government or some
corporate houses (as part of their CSR),
build first class crematoriums which are
peaceful and clean, that would comfort the
families who bring in their deceased? And
provide a dignified service befitting the last
rites of passage through this world?
I remember reading on the wall near the
entrance of a crematorium: मंज़िल तो तेरी यही थी,
बस ज़िन्दगी गुज़र गयी आते आते (Manzil toh meri yehi
thi, bas zindagi guzar gayi aate aate).
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