Thanks to these students, there is dignity in the end

COIMBATORE: As a second year student of costume designing and fashion technology, S Roshini never thought that she would have to meet with a situation like this. Last week, Roshini performed the last rites of six unclaimed bodies which were there at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH).
Roshini was one among the 25 students from Sri Krishna College of Arts and Science, who did the buried the unclaimed bodies in the city crematorium with the help of Tholar Arakattalai (Friends' Society), a non government organisation.
The previous time Roshini did the last rites was when her father died a year ago. "I realised that everyone had to leave this body, as my father did when he died. We cremated him with all the respect to see his soul rest in peace," she said.
For several months, these unclaimed bodies were lying in the government hospital mortuary with no one to give a decent burial. "They need the respect after the end of their life," says Roshini.
While for Roshini, it was a new experience that made her realise the importance of life and death. For J Poornachandran, a second year student of Biotechnology, who has been involved in burying unclaimed bodies for the past two years, it was sorry state of affair. "I have been associated with Tholar Arakattalai and seen many bodies being buried," he said.
"It is unfortunate that every year so many people die unnoticed and there is no one to care about them. It reflects the kind of society we are living in and how it is progressing as the days pass," says Poornachandran.
While on one hand, it is a happy sign to see so many students showing interest to do last rites of the unclaimed bodies. On the other, they need an inspiration or a leader who can guide them to take up such activities.
Shanthakumar, founder of Tholar Arakattalai, said that there are not enough space in crematorium to burry them. Further, there are many unclaimed bodies that pile up and cannot be cremated due to legal issues. They have so far buried more than 1530 bodies, he added.