Helpless families look to her to perform last rites of the dead
LUCKNOW : Moved by the sight of piled up bodies awaiting cremation, Suman Singh Rawat, took it upon herself to arrange for the last rites of the dead whose kin were helpless in giving them one. With entire families infected with Covid-19 and unable to take part in the last rites of their dear ones this was a very real situation.
Rawat, 49, along with her volunteers came forward to arrange for the basic requirements so that such helpless families could rest assured that their dear departed would get decent last rites.
There are some 34 team members and around 5,500 volunteers that not only do this noble work of performing the last rites of the dead but also help out in case of accidents and other calamities.
The area of operation of this team is Lucknow and it adjoining areas, Rawat said, adding, “If someone in Kakori needs our help, the team member (a bona fide identity card holder of the organisation) from Thakurganj area will rush to Kakori to see what help can be provided.”
Rawat, who originally hails from district Chamoli, Uttarakhand, lives in Lucknow.
“We have come up with a plan to give a respectful and decent farewell to Covid-19 victims. The sight of piles of dead bodies being cremated is frightening,” said Rawat, a social activist and vice-president, Parvatiya Mahaparishad.
Citing an example, Rawat said she received a call in the early hours of Monday from a resident of Sarojini Nagar where the caller informed that a neighbour, who was in home isolation, had succumbed to Covid-19, the night before. Rawat swung into action, arranged for a hearse and driver and did the needful.
Rawat and her team have tied up with hearse drivers and priests who perform last rites at Bhaisakund crematorium. “We have arranged wood in recent times when there was shortage of wood due to surge in Covid-19 cases. These are difficult times and we take it as a responsibility to help in whatever way we can,” she said.
“Our volunteers pool money among themselves and pay the hearse drivers, priests at the cremation ground via online transfers into their accounts,” she said.
A social activist since her college days, she realised her responsibility and duty towards society early. So far, Rawat claims that they helped cremate more than 40 to 45 bodies in the last 8 - 10 months. They have also arranged ambulances to shift patients to different hospitals using personal contacts.