Noida Sector-106. Separate cremation ground in Bhangel area. Around 12 noon, the dead body of a 30-year-old youth came. The dead body was placed on the platform. Some people went to collect good wood from the godown built nearby. A dejected 55-year-old man with a pile of leaves in his hand started driving away flies from the face of his son’s dead body.
After reaching the crowd, we asked about Mukesh Acharya, who got the rituals done. Mukesh came out from the crowd as soon as he heard his name. Asked the reason for our visit and after listening to the answer, pointed to the cot kept on the verandah and asked to wait.
The struggle of life amidst the mourning of death
While waiting outside Mukesh’s house built in the crematorium premises, sometimes we would see Mukesh performing the last rites and sometimes his family, who were busy with their daily chores, unconcerned by all this. It was shocking to see Mukesh’s three children Radhika (12), Sania (7) and Yug (2) playing just 50 feet away from the burning pyre. These children were not bothered by the process of that last rites. The first question is from Radhika itself, do you go to school son? Got the answer yes.
Mukesh’s wife Jyoti is cooking inside the house. The whistling sound of the cooker drowns out the noise outside. Even after half an hour has passed, Mukesh is busy in the rituals of the last rites. Meanwhile, Jyoti comes out of the kitchen to take care of the children. We asked them, isn’t the family scared amidst the burning corpses?
Remaining silent for a few seconds, Jyoti says, ‘It is true that most people are afraid to come here except for the last rites, but we have spent our childhood here. From the birth of younger brother, marriage of sisters and birth of my children, we have seen all the happiness and sorrows here. I got married from here too. Papa-Mummy took their last breath here too. That’s why there is a special attachment. I am scared not by living here, but now by the thought that if I have to leave this place and go somewhere else…’
Relatives do not come home, they are ashamed of us
‘Are the relatives happy with the work?’ The answer comes, ‘Most of them do not like our work. They say that they are ashamed to tell anyone that their relatives, that is, we live in the crematorium. That’s why many relatives do not want to come to our house.
Referring to an incident, Jyoti says, ‘Once a relative came home with his daughter. The daughter asked him why the fire was burning in front of the father’s house. He said – Havan is going on. He did not want to tell the daughter where he had come. After some time he hurriedly left our house.
when the younger brother ate the ashes of the dead
Any such incident related to the crematorium, which is always remembered? We ask the question again. The answer comes, ‘There is an incident related to the younger brother. One day mother was doing housework. Then two year old brother was playing in the verandah. Suddenly he went on his knees near the burnt dead body and started playing with the ashes. After applying ashes all over the body, he also ate some ashes. When the mother saw him, she ran to him and immediately removed the ashes from his mouth.
Jyoti says, ‘We are not Dom, we are Brahmin by caste. The Brahmin, who used to offer prayers at the funeral, but settled here in 2010. Now let’s help with the funeral. After the rituals of the dead body coming here, we make a slip and give it. On the basis of this, the death certificate is made from the government office.
masan baba himself protects us
After an hour and a half, as soon as the ceremony was over, Mukesh came directly to us. The question that he had asked his wife some time ago, was in front of him. ‘Live with the family in the cremation ground, don’t you feel scared?’ Mukesh laughed out loud as soon as he heard the question, as if he had heard a joke.
Mukesh says, ‘How are you afraid? My whole family sleeps inside the house, I sleep here on the verandah alone on a cot. Masan Baba (Lord Shiva) himself protects us. Neither I nor my family ever felt scared. My children play around the platforms on which dead bodies are burnt everyday. The youngest child, who is only 2 years old. Sometimes it reaches the place of action while playing. There is no fear in his mind either.
‘After coming home from the crematorium, the first thing people do is take a bath, do you do the same?’ In response to this question, Mukesh says, ‘We start our work after getting up early in the morning, taking a bath and worshiping. The cremation ground is as holy as any temple. Like cows have been brought up here. A man who lives across the road comes everyday to buy milk from us, but he does not enter inside the gate. He says that he will not come inside the crematorium. I tell him, you are not coming inside, but milk is going from inside. It means to say that everyone has their own rules regarding coming and not coming here.
Mukesh further explains, ‘Many relatives have problems with this work of ours. It is said that you live in the crematorium, will not talk to you. But if no one is ready to live here like this, then how will these corpses be saved? I got married from here only, since then I am living here only.
Living in the crematorium for so many years, does anything seem strange here? In response to this question, Mukesh says, ‘Not in the crematorium, but seeing the society definitely feels strange. I feel strange when I see the importance of ending relationships. Once a boy came in an Audi car. His father had died. He was from a rich family, had brought a friend with him to give fire to his father, he said – he is scared. When I was surprised, I asked him – who had bought the car in which you have come. He said father. I said, then get this car also set ablaze by your friend.
After talking to Mukesh and his wife, we reached the cremation ground, the last residence in Sector-135 of Noida. Met Monu Sharma here, who has been living with his mother, brother, sister-in-law and their 3 children in a house built in the crematorium premises for the last two and a half years. Monu told that earlier there was no boundary wall in this crematorium. There was no concrete construction. Often the people around would perform the last rites of a dead body here, and the next day they would find the dead body lying crosswise. Chicken feathers, meat, liquor and worship items were available nearby. We were settled here two and a half years ago after being upset. Now, along with conducting the last rites, we also monitor.
When the police had to be called for the tantrik at midnight
Monu further told, ‘About a year and a half ago, once there was a sound at the gate at 11.30 pm. When I went and saw, three people were standing, they started saying that they have to worship. Open the gate for five minutes. When I refused, they started arguing. Even after explaining for a long time, when they did not agree, I had to call the police. However, he fled before the arrival of the police.
After talking to different families at two cremation grounds, we directly reached the Aali cremation ground in Sarita Vihar, Delhi. As soon as we entered through the door, we met Brijkishore Pandit. Brijkishore, 70, is the chief operator here. Is there any problem in performing the last rites? When asked, he told that he is a Brahmin to say, but he is also discriminated against. Their grandchildren can’t tell in their school what work their family does? If told, there is a fear that the children or their teachers may start taunting them.
Children do not want to do this work, marriage is also a problem
Brijkishore told that the families who offer prayers at the funeral also face a lot of difficulty in getting their children married. When the person in front comes to know what work this family does, then he is not ready to have a relationship. Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes have got reservation, but even after facing so many troubles, there is no reservation for them. His children are not interested in this work at all. They want to do something different of their own. That’s why Brijkishore is worried that what will happen to this cremation ground after he is no more alive?
Why are the kids not interested? On this question, Brijkishore told that dead bodies keep coming here, but people hesitate to give money. Even the people who come riding in the car are not ready to pay even 501 rupees after worshiping. Firstly, it is not a respectable job anyway. Moreover, due to paucity of money, the children are not interested in this work at all. ‘A few months back, we had hired a watchman for the security of Vishram Ghat, but due to lack of money, he had to be fired. What should we do, we do not have funds.
Burned so many pyres, now the death of loved ones does not shake
Brijkishore says that this cremation ground is built inside the colony. That’s why the people of this colony do not allow the dead body from outside to be cremated here. Now sometimes people do not die in the colony for several days. In such a situation, running the cremation ground is proving to be very difficult. Someone had told him that the government has sanctioned Rs 13 lakh to be spent on this Vishram Ghat, but after a long time there is no news about it.
Has the heart become strong after seeing so many funerals? In response to this question, Brijkishore says that he has seen so many deaths that now even the death of his own people is not surprising. Shortly before, his brother and his sister-in-law died, but it did not affect him much. Later, he himself kept thinking for a long time whether his heart had really become of stone.
However, there were some occasions when even his heart of stone was forced to sweat. Brijkishore tells that once the mother of a boy expired. Two days later his father also died due to this shock. A week after the father’s funeral, his wife had a severe stomach ache and she too passed away. Now that boy is the only one left in that family. When I saw that scene with my eyes, my heart screamed as to why God became so angry with this boy that he took away his entire family within a few days.
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