From immersing ashes to sending reminders, new-age funeral planners cover all bases

For the funeral planners, “rest in peace” extends to not just the deceased but for their family and friends as well. Sanjay Ramgude founded the Mumbai-based Sukhant Antyavidhi Seva (SAS) in May 2014 and since then, the organisation works 24×7, planning funerals for clients of all religions based in Mumbai, Thane and the Navi Mumbai area.

Sukhant Antyavidhi Seva’s services include a well-equipped ambulance to take the body to the crematorium

Before he started SAS, Ramgude was running his film production house in Mumbai, but over the past year, he has dedicated himself to his new venture. “Several years ago, I had gone to Varanasi to shoot a film. At the ghats of the Ganga, when I was chatting with the relatives of the deceased who were gathered there, I realised how important it is for people to depart from the world respectfully. The last rites hold a lot of value,” he says.

Ramgude’s firm currently offers only one scheme, Shraddhanjali, which is tailored to handle general cases and includes a well-equipped ambulance to take the body to the crematorium, arranging material such as flowers, cloth, rose water etc required for the funeral. Four attendants are present at the crematorium to assist the family while performing the last rites. The package ranges from Rs 4,000 – Rs 6,500. “We get around eight to 10 clients in a month,” says Ramgude.

But this Diwali, he is all set to launch another package — “Moksh”. Under this scheme, one can plan their own funeral in advance. “There are a lot of people who don’t have anyone or just have one child, who is based abroad. They are not sure who will carry out the formalities after their demise, if people will attend their funeral, or they wish to donate their organs will be fulfilled and so on. Moksh caters to such people,” says Ramgude.

One can also avail multimedia and social media elements under the scheme, such as a one-minute film where a final message can be left for friends and family, along with information about the funeral that will be shared with all of the client’s contacts. In addition, for the next 10 years, the firm would send tribute messages on social media to his/her acquaintances on the deceased’s birth and death anniversary. “Nearly 350 people have registered with us. After the launch of the scheme, once the figure touches 10,000, we plan to expand our operations to other cities as well,” said Ramgude. Moksh does not come cheap: a one-time payment for the funeral costs Rs 30,700.

Nayana Naik, 45, has made up her mind to book Moksh for herself and her husband. “We have a small family, the two of us and our son. If something happens to one of us, the spouse will have to do all the running around. My son is young now and might go abroad for further studies in future. Having such a policy makes perfect in our situation. The policy will plan our funeral as per our specifications; it couldn’t have been better,” says the Mumbai-based HR consultant.

Ramgude’s enterprise is the latest entrant in a field otherwise dominated by the Mumbai-based Indian Funeral Service, established nearly two decades ago. The firm caters to clients across the country and arranges funerals of all faiths and beliefs. Some of the services include burial/cremation, scattering of ashes into the sea or at Varanasi, floral tribute, embalming, obtaining death certificates and burial/cremation permits, cold storage and more. “When we started 20 years ago, we hardly got four cases in a month. Now we cater to nearly eight-10 cases in a week,” says Elroy Noronha, co-founder.

The profession comes with its own set of challenges, he says. “Getting efficient staff for this kind of job is a challenge. A certain taboo is attached to the profession. The younger generation, especially, is not keen to get associated with it,” says Noronha.

As for those who who can’t make it to Varanasi for the final send-off, Kashi Moksha Inc (KMI) will attend to their needs. Founded by Maharaj Jata Shankarji Dwivedi five years ago, the company offers a team of nearly 200 priests to perform rituals such as asthi visarjan, varshik shradh, tripindi, brahmin bhoj etc at the Ganga on behalf of the deceased’s family. “Rituals are documented through photography and videography. While the service comes free of cost, the DVDs, photos and prasad is couriered to the family for Rs 2,000. Ninety per cent of customers offer donations and we use the amount to perform rituals for those who can’t afford these rituals,” says Rupsi Gupta, marketing head. The firm boasts of nearly 40 customers a month from India as well as abroad.

Mhow-based Abhishek Pandey contacted KMI last month. “I wasn’t able to take out time to visit Varanasi because of my job and I needed to immerse my grandfather’s ashes in the Ganga. I couriered the ashes to KMI. It was pitra-paksh time, so I asked them to perform shraadh and shanti-paath for my grandfather. A week ago, I received the prasad, videos and photos of all the rituals; that left me satisfied. Now finally, my grandfather’s soul will rest in peace,” he says.