Good grief

CREMATORIUMS in Gujarat are no longer cramped places that heighten the sense of loss. Gardens, fountains, libraries, prayer halls, eye donat...

CREMATORIUMS in Gujarat are no longer cramped places that heighten the sense of loss. Gardens, fountains, libraries, prayer halls, eye donation banks, their own hearse vans. These are facilities no one expected from them a couple of years ago.

Many are already tourist attractions and have their own websites and CDs. Women and children earlier rarely visited crematoriums but no longer so.

The Muktidham crematorium in north Gujarat8217;s Sidhpur town even webcasts the last rites for the benefit of relatives who can8217;t make it. A crematorium run by Rotary in Ankleshwar has received an ISO 14001 certificate for being eco- friendly. It uses natural gas.

THE change began when private trusts began taking over the management of crematoriums from civic bodies. For instance, a crematorium in Rajkot8217;s Ramnath Para had a complete makeover when the Sargam Club took over its management in the late 1990s. From gardens, prayer halls, libraries to an air-conditioned prayer hall, it has it all. Says Sargam club president Gunvantbhai Delavala: 8216;8216;People come here in mourning but go back with a smile. Some announce on arrival that they would like to be cremated here.8217;8217;

But all this comes at a cost. The club began with a project cost of Rs 50 lakh, but has already shot past Rs 5 crore. The money required for development and maintenance is raised entirely by donations. The local civic body pays the electricity charges and shares the salary bill of the staff of 45.

nbsp;

Air-conditioned prayer halls. Gardens and certificates
for being
eco-friendly. Crematoriums in Gujarat shed their death like gloom

Most crematoriums have statues and idols of saints, gods and prominent local or national personalities. 8216;8216;The idea is to convey to mourning relatives and visitors that death is inevitable and everyone comes to rest here,8217;8217; says Jagdish Thakkar of Shree Samaj Sevak Mahavir Dal that runs the Manekbai Sukhdham in Jamnagar. 8216;8216;When a cremation is on, people can move around, rest or offer prayers,8217;8217; he says. The crematorium has an eye bank too. This was the first crematorium to introduce the concept of a soothing atmosphere and identifies itself as 8216;Aadarsh Samshan8217;8217; ideal crematorium.

The Rajkot crematorium runs for 24 hours even though there are very few cremations at night. Many have been impressed with its facilities including chief minister Narendra Modi who after seeing its presentation, expressed a wish to have a similar one in Gandhinagar.

Story continues below this ad

The Rotary Club of Ankleshwar took over the management of a crematorium run by Brahman Samaj. 8216;8216;We are all industrialists so it was easy for us to manage it and even go for an ISO certification,8217;8217; says secretary of Ankleshwar Rotary Welfare Trust, M Punjwani. Three years ago it was awarded ISO 14001 for being eco friendly and its facilities are inspected every six months by BVQI, the certifying agency.

The Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority is also constructing a modern crematorium on the Sarkhej-Gandhinagar highway, lined by plush showrooms and hotels. It has an impressive facade and will have an air-conditioned hall for those willing to pay. A platform and an impressive staircase will lead to the crematorium. It will have an illuminated 8216;shivling8217; that will periodically disappear behind a water curtain.

8216;8216;We want to ensure that it does not look like a crematorium,8217;8217; says deputy executive engineer quality Amarjeet Saluja. It is, after all, a funeral service with a smile.