Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Burial and Cremation


Of late there is an  increased awareness about donating body parts to the cause of Science and Medicine.
I have found more and more people signing up for Eye donation and leaving clear cut instructions to their family regarding Organ donation, when the time arrives.
Many have even gone a step ahead and arranged for their own funeral, something like a prepaid cremation.
 For some it may sound morbid to talk about death especially when it is a family member. But let us face it, Death is a reality. The only uncertain thing is about the “How and When”

But if everyone goes through this exercise of selecting the way you want to be buried or cremated then it would be a lesser burden for the loved ones who are already in grief at that particular moment. One can even decide on the Casket Costs.
Then there is the question of deciding whether one wants to be buried or cremated. Most often the choice is dictated by religious beliefs. Cremation is an ancient practice that began over 2000 years ago in civilized cultures such as Greece, Rome and in India. The Hindus believe that cremation is the only way in which the soul will attain salvation.
When it comes to the Christians (especially Catholics) some still cling on to the old church belief that all Catholics have to be buried. Many are not aware of the instruction from the Holy Office in 1963 about the changes to Catholic views on Cremation. This was further amended in 1969, 1983 and 1989. These revisions solidified the church’s position and says that following a cremation, Catholic Church teachings instruct that the cremated remains be buried in a grave, or entombed in a colobarium.
Then there is the choice of keeping the body in community owned Mausoleum or a private one. One can even compare the price at the Mausoleum Prices.


Cremation is becoming  a more popular and widely acceptable option due to shortage of space in burial grounds (especially in the cities) and the fact that it is less expensive. 
 Last year this time I was in Spain where I attended a funeral of a loved one. I was really impressed about the way the whole cremation process was conducted.


I wish such facilities were available in India too.

14 comments:

Unknown said...

It's good to be able to discuss 'future' events like burial etc. Takes the burden off the families. But some see it as taboo:(

anilkurup59 said...

Entombing people think is away to keep the memory alive, with visits to the grave site etc. Whereas in cremation nothing is left behind except a handful of ash. Then one has to preserve it in an urn.
Well leaving these age old practices aside, donating the cadaver to medical schools to benefit medical science is a Noble deed and perhaps along with organ harvesting may lessen the severity of the deeds and misdeeds done when alive.

Marie said...

Like that idea of the "prepaid Cremation"
Just imagine, consumers can choose from upfront payment or making monthly payments.

hamaarethoughts.com said...

its very common in US and many Indians have done that too
cuz they want to see how it is done before they finally leave plus the expenses are hard to afford,,
so better option is pre-paid thing ..it sounds hilarious but there is deal always on this..buy one get one half off.. if any relatives or close one passes buy you can actually get half on yourself ..one of our clients did that .. a small casket beside his mom.. in same place .. he paid half ,, on himself
..when he told me all this I was like" are you kidding?" he was like.. nope.. its better "never to be a burden on anyone even after death "..and why not use the deal..

Shilpa Garg said...

Organ donation is gaining acceptance and have heard/read about many who have instructed the family to do so.
Prepaid Cremation is a new concept and can/may be used by the religions where burial takes place, so one can select the casket etc, but in Hindus where mostly cremation takes place, all this planning might not be needed!

Rama Ananth said...

I strongly believe in donating every part of the body, for what is the use of them to us once we are gone. Let people who are in dire need benefit from them. And that is not possible due to some reasons at least one can donate ones body for medical research.
I neither believe in burning, nor in the burying, I think I like the Parsi way to disposing the body, leaving it for the vultures and other birds to eat the flesh, though the reason behind their belief in doing so does not appeal to me, but the practice is definitely good.
However in these modern times when we can reuse many things, I feel donating body parts is the best one can do this world.

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