NOW, SPEED POST ASHES TO TEMPLE TOWNS FOR POST-DEATH RITUALS

VARANASI: The postal department has teamed up with a nongovernment organisation Om Divya Darshan, involved in socio-cultural activities, to help people perform post-death rituals of their loved ones, like immersion of ashes in sacred rivers which is very difficult in the present scenario, given the raging Covid-19 and subsequent curbs.

Now the ashes can be sent from post offices to Varanasi, Prayagraj, Haridwar and Gaya through speed post, where asthi visarjan (immersion of ashes) and shradha rituals would be done by Om Divya Darshan (ODD), informed Krishna Kumar Yadav, Postmaster General of Varanasi region.

Yadav said that recently the organisation submitted a proposal for this to the directorate, postal operations division, India Post, New Delhi. The directorate accepted the proposal, and an arrangement was made for sending ashes through speed post. He said that to avail of this facility, one would have to register on the portal of Om Divya Darshan (http://omdivyadarshan.org)

After having registered for asthi visarjan or shradha ceremony on the ODD portal, one could send the packet of asthis

(ashes) by speed post to Varanasi, Prayagraj, Haridwar and Gaya.

He said the ashes should be packed properly and ‘Om Divya Darshan’ should be inscribed on the packet in bold letters, so that it would be distinguished. The sender would have to write his full name, address and mobile number etc. on the packet. The speed post charges would be borne by the sender.

After booking the speed post, the sender would have to update the booking details, including speed post bar code number, on the portal of Om Divya Darshan Sanstha. Once the packet was received at the post office, it would be delivered to Om Divya Darshan’s address, he said.

After that, Om Divya Darshan Sanstha, through the empanelled pandits, would perform the shradha ceremony on the predecided date and time. The ceremony would be webcast live to the family members of the deceased. Thereafter, a bottle of Ganga water would be booked by ODD and delivered to the family members of the deceased through speed post from Parliament Street post office, New Delhi, he said.