Rajasthan villages face monsoon hardship as funeral processions struggle through water and mud roads

BHILWARA: Even after 78 years of independence, despite our grand claims of development, the lack of rural development and facilities during the rainy season leads to situations where, in many villages, when someone dies, the funeral procession has to pass through water and mud.

On Wednesday, in Lamya Junardar village of Jhadli Gram Panchayat in Malpura subdivision of Tonk district, the reality of rural development was exposed during a funeral procession.

The village lacks a proper cremation ground, and the path is filled with mud and water, causing significant trouble for the family and villagers in conducting the last rites of 72-year-old Hanuman Vaishnav. The body was taken through a foot of water.

The cremation site was also flooded by the Sahodra river, so the funeral was conducted under the open sky at 5:30 PM in someone's yard. Villagers reported that they have informed local representatives and administrative officials about this issue in the village, which has a population of around eleven hundred, but no facilities have been provided yet.