Mumbai: Losing a near and dear one is always painful. But the anguish and agony caused by death during the times of COVID has multiplied manifold, as families are not being allowed to bid goodbye to their loved ones who have succumbed to the deadly coronavirus.
COVID-19 norms like social distancing have meant that mortal remains of those who pass away after suffering from the disease are taken away by the local administration and cremated quietly at designated places in certain states. In some cases, family members can’t not attend last rites of their loved ones as they themselves are in quarantine.
Taking a lesson from such heart-breaking stories, the Worli crematorium in Mumbai will introduce webcasting of last rites so that family members in India and abroad can witness it.
“We earlier had the webcasting in mind for NRIs. In many cases only the elderly father or mother are alive and the children are abroad. They have come to us and offered to pay in advance and asked us to do their last rites when they pass away in case their children are unable to come. But we have done the Antim Sanskar Seva for over 14,000 people so far and for us it’s not about the money. But these are very moving experiences,” said Dr Bharat Parekh, trustee of the Hiralal Parekh Parivar Charity Trust that is redeveloping the Worli crematorium, spread over 80,000 sq ft.
“The COVID-19 pandemic brought the fragility of life into focus, and has further challenged our ability to perform these (last) rites as we learn to live in a new, socially distanced world,” Parekh said, adding that he could not attend the last rites of his cousin who died due to COVID.
