The group has organised a special puja at Sangam Ghat on Sarvapitri Amavasya following which the ashes of the unclaimed bodies will be immersed in the river.
The group has kept the ashes in special lockers in Kailas crematorium behind SSPMS College on Raja Bahadur Mill Road. This year, the group has performed last rites of 405 unclaimed bodies.
Mandar Ranjekar, secretary of Rashtriya Kala Akademi told DNA, “In Hindu religion, many families perform pujas on Sarvapitri Amavasya in the memory of their loved ones. However, these unclaimed bodies do not have any family. Usually, the authorities cremate unclaimed bodies and dispose of the ashes. So, we thought that we will perform the last rites of these unclaimed bodies and immerse their ashes in the river to give their souls final peace.”
“We have performed the last rites of nearly 40 bodies in October and the ashes have been kept in the locker room of Kailas crematorium. On Monday, we have invited some well-known people at Sangam Ghat to immerse the ashes in water. On the same day, we will also felicitate civic workers who have contributed a lot in performing the last rites of unclaimed bodies,” Ranjekar said.
This initiative was started last year and the group had rented 36 lockers at Kailas crematorium to keep the ashes. Most of these unclaimed bodies do not have a name or identification, so we keep a record of the bodies by registering their post-mortem numbers, he said.
“Rashtriya Kala Akademi works in the field of art and culture and we feel that performing the last rites of the deceased, even if they are unclaimed, is a part of our culture. So, we have decided to undertake this initiative. We hope that our work will raise mass awareness and that such initiatives will be undertaken in other crematoriums as well,” Ranjekar said.
Monday 15 October 2012
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