On June 28, Verghese Roazario lost his 78-year-old father to COVID-19, and he hoped the dear departed would receive a good burial at Quibble Island cemetery. Under quarantine, neither the son, nor the rest of the family would be able to organise the burial.
Verghese’s hope did not go in vain, and the credit goes to 25-year-old Khaalid Ahamed and his friends. On behalf of his family, Khaalid’s friends carried the coffin along with workers representing the government.
Since 2017, Khaalid and his friends have been undertaking the free service of organising decent burials for those who have died homeless and destitute. During the current crisis, there is an added facet to their work — helping bereaved families under quarantine by undertaking the burial of their dear one.
“A few years ago, I was working with a voluntary organisation and the job required me to interact with the poor and homeless. Once, I witnessed an aged man living on streets breathe his last. I informed the police about it, and the body was taken to a mortuary where it lay unclaimed. With the police’s permission, we later cremated the body. This incident left a lasting impression on us, we decided to take up this voluntary work. That led us to learn about procedures involving cremation and burial. We also educated ourselves about the legal aspects involving the police and hospital staff. Eventually, we founded Uravugal Trust to further this work. So far, we have performed last rites for nearly 500 unclaimed bodies. Every time we undertake this work, we inform the local police,” says Khaalid, a graduate in mechanical engineering and an aspiring motivational speaker.
Khaalid’s cause is supported by around 300 young volunteers.
“In case of COVID-19 deaths, our role is to carry the body representing the family. The staff and workers representing the health department take care of the work of bringing the body in an ambulance to the cremation or burial ground. Our role is about carrying the body. While doing this work, our volunteers wear PPE suits and follow all safety guidelines provided by the government. For the COVID-19 work, we have 15 volunteers. Only those who have the option of isolating themselves from the rest of the family were chosen; youngsters living in hostels were given preference,” says Khaalid, a native of Thanjavur, who stays at a mansion in Choolaimedu.
At present, Khaalid’s service is restricted to Chennai and Thanjavur. He can be reached at 8056205080, 8667594313.