Decent Burial For Unclaimed Bodies

Women, acting as volunteers for Thozhar Trust, carrying a body to the grave in Coimbatore. Five men, flower merchants by profession, got together four years ago for a rare cause. They took upon themselves the responsibility of giving a decent burial for unclaimed bodies decomposing in the mortuary of the Government Hospital of Coimbatore. Four years since its formation, the Thozhar Trust now has women who are willing to help them in their work.

They accompany the trustees and help them in shrouding the bodies and placing garlands over them. They also accompany them to the burial ground. “At first it was difficult to come to terms with death. But, now, we do the job as if it is our duty,” says P. Santhakumar, the Managing Trustee. His wife, Latha Santhakumar, runs a beauty parlour. She offered to help her husband in his service and slowly friends and acquaintances joined in. Vidya, Pushpavalli, Poongodi, Rajathi, Sangeetha, Haseena Begum and Benazir are the other women who have joined them. “We have also received membership requests from women self-help groups,” Mr. Santhakumar said.

The Trust has buried over 450 bodies of abandoned men, women, children, and accident victims in the city. “A burial can cost up to Rs. 3,000. Those who do not have the money abandon the corpse on the streets or sometimes does not accept the body from the Government Hosptial,” Mr. Santhakumar adds. The trust also urges the public through notices in public places to contact them if they needed help with carrying out the last rites for a person and not to abandon the bodies.

“We have all the support from the authorities. But, if there are people who can contribute Rs. 1,000 for a year towards our trust, we can carry out our work in a more organised way,” he says. The Trust can be contacted at 98422-67700, 98422-51523, 98433-47786.

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