At crematorium, 'value' of money beats amount

Prime Minister Modi would never have expected this. His strong words on Tuesday to curb black money not only ended up affecting the living but also the dead.

This could be seen in the tale of two very different funerals. The first one belonged to a rich family. Expensive cars like BMWs, Audis and Mercedes lined up outside the Lodhi crematorium as their occupants emerged from them to pay their last respects to a south Delhi-based businessman. Among them was businessman Robert Vadra, who had come in his SUV, accompanied by heavy security, to the cremation ground.

There was a catch though; the funeral got delayed, as the family did not have the humble, but now much required Rs 100 note to pay the money required. After much haggling, the staff at the crematorium performed the last rites, but the family was forced to give an undertaking that they would pay the money in Rs 100 denominations or in new currency within the next two days.

A family member who did not want to be named told DNA. "We were required to get a few things for a ceremony which cost us around 40,000 rupees. When we gave 1,000 rupee notes, the staff of Lodi Road cremation ground refused to accept them. We asked everyone at the funeral but no one had them. Finally, the staff performed the last rites, only after we gave them a written letter that we would replace these notes with either new ones or those with 100 rupee denominations."

This rich family's problem was not shared by another family. Ironically, part of the reason was that they were less well off. This family, who could loosely be described as lower-middle class (in the income bracket) had come to cremate a male relative. The bill, which came to around Rs 2,000 was easily dealt with. The reason? Everyone had Rs 100 notes in abundance.       

"We had a bill of around Rs 2,000, and the staff asked us to pay in Rs 100 denominations. We asked our family members and friends and managed it with ease," a friend of deceased told DNA.

Staff at the private cremation ground confirmed this bizarre and macabre tale. "So far, two dead bodies have come, and we have asked one family to either pay in lower denomination or else give us in writing that they will either give us new notes or 100 rupee notes in 48 hours, as per the government's guidelines."

This tale of two funerals said it all. In death, it seems the rich can turn "poor" and the poor can become "rich." All thanks to the Prime Minister's bid to curb black money.