last rites

"I spent over a month frantically searching for my son. And finally, one day I found his dead body in a sack, devoured by stray animals. I decided never to let another soul go through that torment," says the cycle mechanic, who was recently awarded the Padma Shri.

Ensuring that daughters, mothers & widows get equal rights as their male counterparts while performing the last rites of a loved one, Chitra Chandrachud is truly a breath of fresh air.

Santora Devi passed away on Sunday, 22nd July, and Pushpavati was determined to fulfil her 20-year-old wish to be carried to the ghat by her daughter- and donating her eyes.

On Tuesday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj directed the authorities at the Indian Embassy in Washington to work despite a two-day holiday to issue a visa for an Indian man.

On October 4 in Nagpur, Tamina Bobade, 44, performed the last rites of her father, Sumit Munshi, breaking the age-old Hindu tradition of only a male being allowed to light a parent's funeral pyre.

Mithalal Sindhi is a resident of Ahmedabad, has been living on the footpath for the last 60 years, and says that he is completely satisfied with what life has given him.

When Santosh Singh lost his life to a terminal disease, his friend Razzak Khan Tikari who is a Muslim, performed his last rites following all Hindu rituals. He set a very touching example of how religion can never be a barrier when it comes to true friendship.