Funerals are only a family’s business

THE column by Ashwin Trikamjee “Bagpipes and Bentleys … Hindu funeral have become circuses” (the POST, September 30-October 4) requires a response.

It is amazing how many selfappointed individuals are now engaging with undertakers as to how to conduct funerals. The funeral industry for far too long has taken abuse.

Nobody understands the dynamics of a funeral and the hard work put in. I must confess to a somewhat cynical view of the many comments on various social media.

Just to remind Mr Trikamjee that he conveniently fails to address that the funeral parlours are, first, a service to grieving families at any time and, second, a business.

It is ultimately the family’s choice of what they want for a funeral for their loved ones. They have the choice to spend their hard-earned money or not. No one should dictate how their money should be spent and how funerals should be conducted.

Religious leaders have an important role to play and they should assume responsibility for advising their faithful about the correct funeral behaviour. These messages are supposed to be delivered to their local groups which is clearly not happening and never has.

Perhaps this also exposes another reality, in that while the South African Hindu Maha Sabha believes it is representing the Hindu community, it is actually not.

To all the narrow-minded individuals who don’t know anything about the funeral business but are dictating and commenting, please join my colleagues over a weekend while they are on call to remove the bodies of loved ones at all times of the night.

They make sacrifices by leaving their loved ones at home and they bend over backward to satisfy and ease the pain of bereaved families. Remember, they are front line workers, so stop pointing fingers.