Departure gate

There is one place all of us are headed to 

The end of the road, the last halt…the giant terminal-terminus in the sky, the point of no return. Yep, we are all going to die. They say we cannot escape death or taxes - unless its funds stashed away in Swiss banks, in which case you are safe till Baba Ramdev gets you - but cheat death? Naah!

So, if we are all going to pop it, why does the after death experience become hell for those who we leave behind? Take for example a death in a Hindu family. Spouses, children or parents go into a numb state of mourning. A support group generally steps in and takes over the management of the last rites. Forms are filled and if it happens in a hospital - bills are settled. Relatives and friends are informed. A mortuary cooler is brought in, flowers are procured, a poojari is entrusted to perform the rituals.

Typically on the day after, the body is moved to the Crematorium. The wise men of the past advised that only men should go to the cemetery, and it was a good idea. The cremation ground in Vizag is an unholy mess. An electric crematorium installed several years ago never worked. The facilities at the cremation ground are miserable. In the middle of numbing trauma, the family members and friends go through the nightmare of arranging wood (a terribly eco-UNFRIENDLY way of cremation), pooja samanlu - not to forget good quality ghee in copious quantities and then wait in queue for a place to put up the funeral pyre. 

Everywhere it is filthy. The black dust from the port coal and iron ore yards have spread all over the cemetery, the earth itself is dirty brown. Dogs sniff around in the spent ashes. Used pooja items and plastic sachets are scattered all over the place. Some pall bearers come making a devilish din with beating drums and blaring film music. Drunken mourners frequently squabble. In this disgusting environment, one tries to calm the mind and find some dignity for the dead and solace for the living.

And we call ourselves cultured! It is impossible to comprehend how a modern society with a rich cultural tradition, and a city that prides itself as being the “city of destiny” can keep going without a proper crematorium. Every second day we hear about VUDA and GVMC announcing grandiose beautification schemes, a place where a politician will cut a ribbon and give a speech. That's great but, hey, what about where most of us will land up sooner or later?

How about fixing and improving our city’s electric crematorium? Not enough electricity? Better still; change over to a Gas crematorium. After all we have a huge refinery in Vizag and plenty of stored gas. I am told that Hyderabad has a brand new eco-friendly Biomass Gasifier Crematorium. Let us ask our city administrators why can’t we have two or three of these in Vizag? We are dying to know.