Ashes immersion in Ganges put on hold

Tribune News Service

Patiala, April 7

Many people are waiting for lockdown to get lifted, as ashes of hundreds of people who died in Punjab are to be immersed in the holy Ganges in Haridwar.

Lockers at cremation grounds which are used for keeping ashes are all taken over, and the custodians of the cremation grounds are advising people to tie the urns, filled with ashes of the departed souls, to the branches of trees, or else use storerooms at the cremation grounds.

Kins of the deceased are understanding and say that they can wait for a month or so to immerse the ashes. “My uncle expired five days back. We have decided to bring the ashes home and keep the urn in his room rather than rush to Haridwar. We do not want to rush during lockdown and create problems for relatives and the police,” said JS Kathuria.

A caretaker at Bir Ji Dasondhi Ram Crematorium says, “We have around 25 small lockers for keeping the ashes, but all these lockers are now occupied. Now, we have started asking people to keep the ashes in a pot in the storerooms.”

Another worker at Badongar cremation ground said kin of few Sikhs, who had died recently, secured passes from the district administration to immerse the ashes in Kirtarpur Sahib, but even they had to wait for their turn.

“However, the ones longing to travel to Haridwar or anywhere outside the state to immerse the ashes will have to wait as Punjab residents are not allowed to enter Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Few days back, a family took the ashes as they had curfew pass, but returned in the evening requesting us to keep the ashes in the locker as they were not allowed to leave the state,” he said. “The people, who are not keen to leave the ashes at the crematorium ground, are tying the urns with branches of trees located near their houses. In Hindu belief, a departed soul gains complete peace after the deceased’s ashes are immersed in Ganges. As soon as the curfew will be lifted, people will take these urns to the ghats of Ganga,” said Pandit Parmanand Tewari.

Tewari said former IAS officer MS Narang had a low-key death anniversary ceremony of his parents and had requested his friends and relatives to pay their respects to the departed soul from their houses only.