Bamboos used to carry bodies to beautify crematoriums

Nagpur: After death, bamboo sticks used to carry the body are generally burned on the pyre or thrown at crematoriums as waste. It’s a common practice across the country.

Closer home, a city-based NGO — Eco-Friendly Living Foundation — has come up with a unique concept of using unwanted bamboo sticks for the beautification of crematoriums. It has undertaken a pilot project in which it has erected a fencing made of bamboo around open spaces inside the Ambazari crematorium.

The NGO headed by Vijay Limaye is well known for its environment-friendly initiatives. They earlier helped the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) with briquettes made of farm waste and agricultural residues instead of wooden logs for use in crematoriums for burning bodies.

Volunteers started their campaign by requesting relatives of the deceased to hand over bamboo sticks instead of throwing them into the pyre. For about three to four months, they collected around 700 sticks. They then invited artisans from Melghat, who specialise in cutting and fitting bamboo sticks for erecting a fence.

The idea struck when my NGO colleague Yogesh Aneja and I had gone to the crematorium and were disappointed to see bamboos lying near the pyre in heaps, adding to the garbage. The workers at these crematoriums dispose them by pouring kerosene and burning them, thus adding to the pollution. So, we decided to make good use of them to reduce pollution after burning those sticks, says Limaye.

The NGO earlier made efforts to find out artisans who make barricades. After they could not find any, they contacted Anupama Deshpande who runs an NGO that trains artisans in making various products from bamboo.

The NGO spent Rs 50,000 from its own pockets that included Rs 25,000 remuneration to the artisans and the remaining for purchasing nuts and bolts to fix the fence inside the premises.

We completed the fencing work within 16 days. Now, you can see the difference at the crematorium. The bamboo is of high quality as it can carry bodies which are on an average about 70kg in weight. The NMC has 16 such crematoriums in the city. We can beautify all these with the help of civic officials and other NGOs, adds Limaye.

NGO aims to turn ghat into place for morning walk

The NGO has now set a bigger aim to beautify the crematorium in such a way that people should go there for their morning walks. It may sound weird, but we are working on it. We plan to plant trees that can attract honeybees, butterflies and birds, which would also boost pollination activities. We have guava, mulberry, and others in mind. Many birds visit the place, including peacocks and parrots. Usually, these creatures do not go to places where pesticides are used. At the crematorium, such chemicals are not used and therefore, a large number of birds are seen there, said the NGO. Volunteers regularly go to Ambazari ghat every Sunday for cleaning and beautification work. Applauding the Limaye-led NGO’s efforts, NMC garden superintendent Amol Chorpagar said they are extending all help possible for the beautification of crematoriums. Plans are also afoot to undertake similar drives at Mokshadham and Manewada ghats. “I have been to ghats in Yavatmal. They are well maintained and are beautified. We also agree with the NGO’s views that whenever anyone visits a crematorium, they should feel less stressed,” he said.