Tiruvannamalai: Kin wade through river in spate to cremate the dead

TIRUVANNAMALAI: Since the villagers’ constant cries for a bridge over a river fell on deaf ears, a family has now been forced to carry the body of their dead relative to a crematorium by wading through neck-deep waters.

For the residents of Kamandalapuram and Malligapuram and tribal villages of Irulamparai, Thanjanparai, Nadir, Muthandikudisai and Seerakollai near Padavedu at Polur block in Tiruvannamalai district, they blame their fate whenever Kamandala river runs in spate. The river has swelled now again thanks to the recent heavy rains.

Meanwhile, an elderly man named Settu died at Kamandalapuram village on Wednesday.  “During funeral procession, his family members and relatives proceeded to the crematorium. However, since the crematorium is located across the river, they carried the body on their shoulders and waded through the neck-deep waters to reach the opposite side,” said A Amulraj, a villager of Malligapuram.

It has been regular affair for the villagers to bear the brunt whenever the river is in spate. School and college students suffered a lot before the pandemic lockdown kicked in. “The students would reach their institutions with all their dresses wet after crossing the river,” Ezhumalai, a local villager notes.