This group gives dignified funeral to the homeless
Aditi.R@timesgroup.com
Chennai:19.04.2019
“We die alone, but some of us die more alone than others, with no money, no family. We want to change that,” said Khaalid Ahamed.
Khaalid and nine others, all aged between 22 and 24, formed a group called Uravugal. This group includes software engineers, students, doctors and young entrepreneurs and they provide a dignified cremation to unclaimed bodies that have been lying in hospitals for months. Khaalid, the founder of the group, is a 23-year-old entrepreneur.
The idea came to him during late 2017, when Khaalid and his friends were walking and suddenly met a weak elderly homeless man, who was allegedly abandoned by his son. When they asked him if he wanted any help, he said, “I don’t want to die alone, just be there by my side when they bury me,” recalled Khaalid. “It didn’t make much sense then. But the next day when we walked the same path, we found him dead. His body was then taken to the government hospital morgue and after the police couldn’t trace his family, we came forward to do the funeral service,” he said.
That incident moved Khaalid, who then brought together his friends and acquaintances. They began roaming on the streets, talking to homeless people asking their needs and demands. “One of their most common need was to have a dignified funeral,” said Abdul Rehman, a 23-year-old IT professional.
“This made us question so many aspects of life and death, especially concerning the homeless. It also exposed us to an all new world which we were not even aware of and some that we used to take for granted. It was then we decided to commit,” said Abdul, who mostly spends his mornings providing funeral services to the homeless dead, and then heads to office later in the night.
In the last one-and-half years, the group has buried 250 unclaimed bodies of homeless people, with the help of its growing number of volunteers. They share a WhatsApp group with the local police, who call them to offer funeral services, if they are unable to trace the family of the deceased. The bodies are usually kept in the morgue of a government hospital for about 25 days for identification. They cremate them at the burial grounds in Meenambakkam, Otteri, Moolakothalam and other areas.
“We follow no caste or creed; whoever wants to say prayers during the burial, Islamic or Hindu, says it,”said Abdul.
The group pays for all expenses and have pooled in money to buy a van to transport the bodies. They now have a growing number of volunteers.
“Whenever we get a message, anyone who is free goes to the spot. Sometimes, I go when needed, even if I am in class. My professors know how much this means to me,” said Vigneshwaran, a 21-yearold final year student at Loyola Institute of Technology. He recalled an experience, which he claims has helped him ‘grow’.
“Once, police found a dead homeless man’s son. He came with us to the burial ground, but stood far and refused to touch his father’s body. He reasoned that he did not want to catch an infection. He had found his father after six months and this was his response,” he said.
“People sometimes tell us that we have chosen an uncommon cause and we are too young for it. But we hope to keep it up, since it has helped us become better people,” said Vigneshwaran.
They share a WhatsApp group with the local police, who call them to offer funeral services, if they are unable to trace the family of the deceased
Aditi.R@timesgroup.com
Chennai:19.04.2019
“We die alone, but some of us die more alone than others, with no money, no family. We want to change that,” said Khaalid Ahamed.
Khaalid and nine others, all aged between 22 and 24, formed a group called Uravugal. This group includes software engineers, students, doctors and young entrepreneurs and they provide a dignified cremation to unclaimed bodies that have been lying in hospitals for months. Khaalid, the founder of the group, is a 23-year-old entrepreneur.
The idea came to him during late 2017, when Khaalid and his friends were walking and suddenly met a weak elderly homeless man, who was allegedly abandoned by his son. When they asked him if he wanted any help, he said, “I don’t want to die alone, just be there by my side when they bury me,” recalled Khaalid. “It didn’t make much sense then. But the next day when we walked the same path, we found him dead. His body was then taken to the government hospital morgue and after the police couldn’t trace his family, we came forward to do the funeral service,” he said.
That incident moved Khaalid, who then brought together his friends and acquaintances. They began roaming on the streets, talking to homeless people asking their needs and demands. “One of their most common need was to have a dignified funeral,” said Abdul Rehman, a 23-year-old IT professional.
“This made us question so many aspects of life and death, especially concerning the homeless. It also exposed us to an all new world which we were not even aware of and some that we used to take for granted. It was then we decided to commit,” said Abdul, who mostly spends his mornings providing funeral services to the homeless dead, and then heads to office later in the night.
In the last one-and-half years, the group has buried 250 unclaimed bodies of homeless people, with the help of its growing number of volunteers. They share a WhatsApp group with the local police, who call them to offer funeral services, if they are unable to trace the family of the deceased. The bodies are usually kept in the morgue of a government hospital for about 25 days for identification. They cremate them at the burial grounds in Meenambakkam, Otteri, Moolakothalam and other areas.
“We follow no caste or creed; whoever wants to say prayers during the burial, Islamic or Hindu, says it,”said Abdul.
The group pays for all expenses and have pooled in money to buy a van to transport the bodies. They now have a growing number of volunteers.
“Whenever we get a message, anyone who is free goes to the spot. Sometimes, I go when needed, even if I am in class. My professors know how much this means to me,” said Vigneshwaran, a 21-yearold final year student at Loyola Institute of Technology. He recalled an experience, which he claims has helped him ‘grow’.
“Once, police found a dead homeless man’s son. He came with us to the burial ground, but stood far and refused to touch his father’s body. He reasoned that he did not want to catch an infection. He had found his father after six months and this was his response,” he said.
“People sometimes tell us that we have chosen an uncommon cause and we are too young for it. But we hope to keep it up, since it has helped us become better people,” said Vigneshwaran.
They share a WhatsApp group with the local police, who call them to offer funeral services, if they are unable to trace the family of the deceased
No comments:
Post a Comment