Burning the dead

They live their lives in threat. The burners who work in cremation grounds and earn just a penny. They play with fire. Risk their lives. Spend their day in the burning grounds.

There are ashes all floating up in the air. There’s smoke.

And they do not take much for that work. Just a cheap bottle of alcohol!, Which they have right before starting off to work. Their legs doddering. And their bodies stinking of some rotten fruit!

They work 24/7. Day and night.

Because, Someone, somewhere dies in a metropolitan every minute. And these burning grounds go housefull often. Located at the confluence of a river. One can see burning pits made close to each other in a space confined. And bodies are burnt ruthlessly without taking much time.
Every emotion, every worry the people have, they all get swept away. The world has more to come and give and so one has to pass away. These people know it better, the relatives too!


Here, one can find smoke at every inch. At every sight and the temperature is so high! One can easily breathe in a taste of burning meat.
People vomit. People spit. They put masks on their faces, they put handkerchiefs.
Some even quit meat for some time.
And that’s hilarious! If you too are a part of that crowd. Burning someone close. Waving them goodbye!

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Afterlife is unpredictable I think!
Rest just stories. If a ‘yamraj‘ was supposed to take people. ‘the god of death!, Then why don’t other religions know the same? Well, those are all stories.
What I feel is a person lost, is a teaching of a lifetime. And if you can’t teach one, maybe, you weren’t as inspiring a person! And that’s the truth.
Well, Here who suffers the most are these employees who get lost in fire and smoke so much so, that they lose their emotions.
They feel their thoughts collapsing and keep their memories to themselves. they know what the world is. They are the ‘Bravehearts‘.
Some call them ‘chandals‘, some call them ‘jallads’. They usually are of the lower tribes disregarded by the people. Constitutionally termed as the ‘SC’S‘.

In villages, where the population is low. These grounds aren’t well constructed. And remains of the people burnt can be found at places. Almost everywhere!
One has to walk on over them.
These remains consist of the medicines the dead person used to take. Some throw away clothes and the person’s closest belongings.
They burn down the memories.
Hoping they would not last.
They burn their past.
Which ends with the person lost.

And the truth has to be accepted.
Some people come crying, who say they’ve lost their everything.
And the world regards them as fools.
People are getting smart.
People are getting modern in a world forever changing. Where the past doesn’t matter. Where present is everything and the future is just a dream which may not go as planned.

And these burners are the ones unaware of these. All they look at is their present. They know they can end anytime.
And they’re prepared. Even their family members in the same profession!

Dare you to touch a body! dare you do whatever it takes to make the rituals complete. Only if you were the closest and you can’t let go, you’re an exception!

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What matters to these people the most is money. And that it is their occupation.
A ‘brahmin‘, the high-class Hindu would never do the same. Never could he. Never will.
A brahmin has to wash after returning from a cremation ground. Take a dip in the Ganga(the holy river) from head to toe.
They have to get their heads shaved too, which people nowadays don’t.
And that’s the little change the new generation has brought.

But these men burning aren’t bothered. They know they live in a world of constant chaos.
Where we all are a part of nature and not everything can be cleaned. Can be turned pure. Every second someone dies. And this whole world is Like a pit where it all happens. Every water. Air. The land is impure. Especially, us, the humans! The biggest virus! The biggest threat on earth.

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Welcome, to the city of ‘Varanasi‘, formerly, known as(benaras)!
Here every day starts with the blessing of lord shiva(the Mahadev- the ‘god of gods’, the supreme, the present, the future). And the sunsets with people bending down. Heads bowed, hands clasped. Worshipping him. Their guru. The ever knowing
Here every guy starts his day taking the name of the Lord. Praised by the Muslims, praised by the youth, praised by the old.

And Benaras is the holiest place for Hindus in India.

Everybody burnt leaves behind ashes which have to be flushed away in the river Ganga. Here the tributary of the river is known to be most powerful and pure.
Most of the Hindus are burnt here!
Every Hindu tries to! But they have to wait for very long. As the city has been booked especially for cremation purposes. Here the burning process is the fastest. People come and leave as quickly to avoid the massive crowd that gathers.

Bodies are left on these chandals (the burners) then. That’s how it works here!
But people are known to achieve salvation. (Mukti, in ancient Hindi).

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People have found bodies of people unburnt. Swollen, afloat in the river. Horrifying scenes!
Mother Ganges has seen the worst days during the past few years.
People are getting more religious. People want peace. They need salvation.
The bank of the river is crowded with
‘Aghoris‘. The ascetic, zealous followers of the Lord.
They take away the burnt remains or the body parts of the dead. They perform rituals using them. Some say they eat them. And these aghoris are known to put ashes on their forehead. Wear skulls and other parts.
Make ornaments with them.
They literally, bath in ashes. Their bodies look powdery, white and grey.
A lithe figure and a salient and secure life. No one can touch them!
And they smoke ganja(marijuana) 24 hours a day!

If you ever go to the riverside in Benaras.
Be prepared. You’ll be blessed with many such horrifying sites.

But the city has a different side too.
Full of temples with a rich culture influencing tourists worldwide.

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The process of burning ends with the kapala kriya(the skull crack).
And the relatives take away the ashes.
That’s all they’re left with.

And then we thank the chandals, without whose help this process is incomplete.
It’s not that they live their lives disdain, but they do it because they’re a part of this system playing with fire, playing with ashes.

And Hindus believe that cremation is the best process through which the soul meets god.
Whatever it is, one has to leave and that’s the truth.
Every religion, every culture has its ways. And it’s all up to them.

Nowadays, people incinerate using machines.
Where there’s no work for chandals. They are against this system but have their hands tied. They can’t do anything about it.
This process is being promoted a lot nowadays. It’s clean and safe.
Neither does it produce smoke nor any virus.

But the work done by the chandals will be remembered forever.
They’ll find some other work. Maybe, begar, they’ll work for as peons in the municipal departments.

Caste discrimination is still in force and these people are forced to carry out the same profession for ages.

There are still art revolts, which I demean as unimportant!
Life has to go on! And their status still requires an upliftment.

Thanks for reading!!

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