In a city bursting at the seams, space is a luxury not only for the living, but also for the dead. Communities like Christians, who practice burial of the dead, are running short of graveyards and are being forced to look for alternate ways of bidding farewell to the departed.
A recent article in the Catholic weekly The Examiner titled ‘Of niches and permanent graves’ talks about cremation being approved by the Church because even niches — holes in the wall where bones are stored once a body is exhumed from a temporary grave — are getting exhausted.
St Michael’s Church, Mahim, where niches have been exhausted, provides temporary graves only for two years. “After that we put the remains in a community well called ‘Rest in Peace’,” said Fr Hugh Fonseca of the church.
“Space is an issue in all churches. So in the 1990s we asked churches to do away with permanent graves,” said Fr Savio Fernandes, chancellor, Archdiocese of Bombay.
“(Space crunch) is one reason why churches approved cremation,” said Fr Anthony Charanghat, editor, The Examiner.
But the practice has not been accepted by more than five per cent of Catholics. “People are not opting for cremation because of factors like convenience, pollution and hygiene,” said Fr John Silas of St Thomas Cathedral, which comes under the Church of North India.
Churches are, however, making an attempt to increase the number of graves, with 2,000 being planned at the Sewri cemetery, which has 40,000 graves. “There is no space for permanent graves. So, we are thinking of digging the rocky surface at the cemetery,” said Fr Michael Goveas, president, Sewri Christian Cemetery Board. “There is an open ground and we can get some space there. The work will be started after a study of the area.”
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