On April 13, V. P. Manikandan, a social worker in Madurai, received a call from Chennai. The relative of a person who died at the hospice facility here, could not make it to Madurai due to the COVID-19 lockdown. “I asked for a consent letter and a confirmatory voice note from a member of the family. They immediately sent it and I began making the arrangements for the last rites,” he said.
Mr. Manikandan (44), who used to work as a marketing executive, took to social work in 2012 to ensure that the bodies of people, who were either abandoned by their families or orphaned, were given a decent burial or cremation.
In the wake of the COVID-19 lockdown, he is also helping families who have settled in different parts of the world to ensure that the last rights for their kin are satisfactorily completed. He has been in touch with several old age homes, shelters and hospice facilities for the last eight years. “Since the lockdown, I've been calling contacts every two days to check if they are in need of any supplies. When a death occurs at an odd hour, I am sure to get a call,” he says.
Mr. Manikandan says that he will usually call in advance and inform authorities at the local crematoriums and burial grounds about when the ceremony is likely to take place.
Usually, the bodies are wrapped in new clothes. They also have a garland and a packet of ellu pori, he says. “Now however, it is getting increasingly difficult to ensure that we can provide new sarees for the women or find garlands. Some good Samaritans through word of mouth come and help us during these times but it is a hard task,” he says. He adds that instead of the traditional ellu pori, he now provides a small packet of rice instead, which he takes from home.
To ensure safety, Mr. Manikandan wears a mask and gloves. He also says that he requires explicit documents regarding the cause of death and the time to be provided by the old age home or shelter. Physical distancing is also strictly followed, he says.
After the last rites are completed, his mother keeps a bucket of water outside their house for his bath, signalling the end of the ritual. “My father used to tell me that serving the dead is one of the greatest virtues. I have been trying to do my part,” he says.