Death is a somber affair. The bonds built over long years of getting to know a person, a tiny bit at a time, are cruelly severed in an instant. It might take years for a person to come to terms with the loss of a loved one. Some never do. This process of adjusting to a new reality begins soon after the initial shock of the news of a death. One of the main reasons behind the elaborate cremation rites in Hindu culture is to give mourners the assurance that their loved ones will go to a better place if the right process is followed, which can bring enormous relief to those left behind. Burning corpse in open pyre and scattering the remains in a holy river has traditionally been considered an indispensible part of this ritual. But all that is set to change with the establishment of an electric cremation facility at Pashupati Aryaghat that is scheduled to come into operation in the next few months.
Understandably, the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) has made electric cremation optional, at least in the initial phase. People will take time to get used to this new form of bidding a final farewell to their loved ones. But there are compelling reasons why it will eventually catch on. It is economic: compared to around Rs 7,000 it takes to cremate a body in open pyre, the same process costs Rs 1,000-1,500 in an electric crematory. It is time-saving: it takes 45 minutes for a corpse to burn out in an electric crematory, compared to four hours in open pyre. Convenience will eventually trump religious concerns, as has been evident in many parts of India where electric cremations have become the standard. This rapid conversion has been possible since there is now widespread realization that there is more than people’s convenience is at stake.
Mourners can perform last rites, including giving dagbatti, before a corpse is placed in the crematory.
A traditional funeral pyre consumes up to 500 kg of wood. In Pashupati Aryaghat alone 50 corpses are burnt in open pyres every single day. As such, traditional Hindu cremations have proven to be a big drain on forest resources. Half-burnt corpses also pollute vital waterworks. This is the reason open-pyre funeral has been banned in parts of India. In fact, there is no valid reason to continue open-pyre cremation anywhere. The mourners can perform all the last rites before a corpse is placed inside the electric crematory, including giving dabgatti. At the end of cremation, there will even be enough remains to dispose of in holy waters.
This initiative has been long time in the coming: It has been over 20 years since PADT first mulled the idea. We are confident that the new crematories will fare much better than the one imported by the Kathmandu Metropolitan City 28 years ago which has become defunct without ever being used. For this there must be efforts to educate the public on both personal and environmental benefits of electric cremation. What mourners want most of all is a dignified departure for the deceased. Surely, harming Mother Nature during the final exit is not a very dignified way to go.
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