21:18
Unknown
Karachi
Even death comes at a steep price for the country’s Hindu community. The cost of a cremation is considerable and prices continue to rise: about Rs3,600 for nine tons of wood — a bare minimum needed for the rite; Rs1,500 for the space where the pyre is set up; at least Rs1,000 for a Pundit who will perform the funeral rites; Rs500 for the pigeons to be fed — a near-obligatory part of the ritual; Rs500 maintenance services... it takes a hefty Rs7,000 (not counting travel fares) to get a decent funeral if you die a Hindu in this city.
The recent spike in Hindu funeral rites at Karachi’s only Shamshan Ghat at old Golimar aka The Hindu Cremation Ground (HCG), only adds to the misery in the lives of the poor and downtrodden scheduled caste Hindus who are chiefly associated with the sanitary services in Karachi.
“As if losing a loved one is not painful enough,” says Sanjay Parmar, a Meghwar Hindu who cremated his aunt a few months ago. “We don’t even get enough to eat in a day. When the tragedy struck, I had to beg for the amount from a friend, and I am still paying him back four months later,” he says.
The caretaker of the cremation ground admitted that he has to deal with families every other day who cannot afford to even pay for the wood. “It’s routine. People get angry when we say that the price of wood has gone up,” says Murad Buksh Baloch, who has been the caretaker of the ground for the last 25 years. “They don’t understand and end up shouting at us.”
The 200-year-old cremation ground recently increased the rent of the pyres from Rs500 to Rs1,500 owing to a financial crunch as the ground has no source of funding save for donations. The pyre is hired for three days - the duration it usually takes a body to turn to ashes.
The treasurer of the HCG said that the ground is being run solely through charity given by ‘well-to-do Hindus’. “We need to pay the four full-time caretakers, then there is the electricity bill and the cash amount needed to stock wood - which we often have to discard in huge quantities owing to the fungus that collects on the wood over time,” says Dr. Virjlal, the treasurer, who is a dentist by profession.
Dr Vijral claims that the management of the ground never turns away any funeral as a matter of policy. “We understand the emotional stress of the situation; if anybody is unable to pay immediately, we talk to the elders of that caste/community and allow the rites to take place on deferred payment,”
But those too poor to afford the deal say that it is very heavy on the pocket, and accuse the management of charging exorbitant rates for the services. “There was no point to increase the rent of the pyre,” says Kailash, a clerk in a law firm, who recently cremated a close relative. “The management make us sign receipts and keeps nagging us until we pay their jacked-up charges.”
However, Dr Vijral insists that the HCG is being run at a loss. He says that the members of the Hindu Panchayat, the committee that oversees the ground, often pay from their own pockets to keep the petty cash flowing.
“There is no question of a profit. We don’t make enough monthly to bear the regular cost.”
Dr Amarnath Motumal, the president of the Hindu Panchayat in Sindh, lamented that the government is not doing enough for the upkeep of the ground, let alone paying for the funeral of those who cannot afford to pay.
“The ground is more that 200 years old. It’s a historical site. We are doing everything within our limited capacity for the place. The government should come forward and help those who cannot pay,” he says.
Minister for Minority Affairs Dr Mohan Lal Kohistani admits that the government has no welfare funds for the scheduled caste members of the community, who “deserve some relief in this matter” and promises to take some measures. “We built new boundary walls in the compound of the HCG to make it more secure, but I must say that a welfare fund should be set up for those who cannot afford to pay for the rites. I will soon contact the Hindu Panchayat and discuss the matter with them.”
Even death comes at a steep price for the country’s Hindu community. The cost of a cremation is considerable and prices continue to rise: about Rs3,600 for nine tons of wood — a bare minimum needed for the rite; Rs1,500 for the space where the pyre is set up; at least Rs1,000 for a Pundit who will perform the funeral rites; Rs500 for the pigeons to be fed — a near-obligatory part of the ritual; Rs500 maintenance services... it takes a hefty Rs7,000 (not counting travel fares) to get a decent funeral if you die a Hindu in this city.
The recent spike in Hindu funeral rites at Karachi’s only Shamshan Ghat at old Golimar aka The Hindu Cremation Ground (HCG), only adds to the misery in the lives of the poor and downtrodden scheduled caste Hindus who are chiefly associated with the sanitary services in Karachi.
“As if losing a loved one is not painful enough,” says Sanjay Parmar, a Meghwar Hindu who cremated his aunt a few months ago. “We don’t even get enough to eat in a day. When the tragedy struck, I had to beg for the amount from a friend, and I am still paying him back four months later,” he says.
The caretaker of the cremation ground admitted that he has to deal with families every other day who cannot afford to even pay for the wood. “It’s routine. People get angry when we say that the price of wood has gone up,” says Murad Buksh Baloch, who has been the caretaker of the ground for the last 25 years. “They don’t understand and end up shouting at us.”
The 200-year-old cremation ground recently increased the rent of the pyres from Rs500 to Rs1,500 owing to a financial crunch as the ground has no source of funding save for donations. The pyre is hired for three days - the duration it usually takes a body to turn to ashes.
The treasurer of the HCG said that the ground is being run solely through charity given by ‘well-to-do Hindus’. “We need to pay the four full-time caretakers, then there is the electricity bill and the cash amount needed to stock wood - which we often have to discard in huge quantities owing to the fungus that collects on the wood over time,” says Dr. Virjlal, the treasurer, who is a dentist by profession.
Dr Vijral claims that the management of the ground never turns away any funeral as a matter of policy. “We understand the emotional stress of the situation; if anybody is unable to pay immediately, we talk to the elders of that caste/community and allow the rites to take place on deferred payment,”
But those too poor to afford the deal say that it is very heavy on the pocket, and accuse the management of charging exorbitant rates for the services. “There was no point to increase the rent of the pyre,” says Kailash, a clerk in a law firm, who recently cremated a close relative. “The management make us sign receipts and keeps nagging us until we pay their jacked-up charges.”
However, Dr Vijral insists that the HCG is being run at a loss. He says that the members of the Hindu Panchayat, the committee that oversees the ground, often pay from their own pockets to keep the petty cash flowing.
“There is no question of a profit. We don’t make enough monthly to bear the regular cost.”
Dr Amarnath Motumal, the president of the Hindu Panchayat in Sindh, lamented that the government is not doing enough for the upkeep of the ground, let alone paying for the funeral of those who cannot afford to pay.
“The ground is more that 200 years old. It’s a historical site. We are doing everything within our limited capacity for the place. The government should come forward and help those who cannot pay,” he says.
Minister for Minority Affairs Dr Mohan Lal Kohistani admits that the government has no welfare funds for the scheduled caste members of the community, who “deserve some relief in this matter” and promises to take some measures. “We built new boundary walls in the compound of the HCG to make it more secure, but I must say that a welfare fund should be set up for those who cannot afford to pay for the rites. I will soon contact the Hindu Panchayat and discuss the matter with them.”
Posted in: Karachi News
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