The final send-off: A service for the departed souls

Many people are afraid of seeing a corpse, let alone touch one. And massaging a dead body, one that has returned from autopsy, is a far-fetched idea. However, 36-year-old Sangita Patil of Nashik does this as social work. She massages the corpses brought into the mortuary with pure ghee, and embellishes them with a token of faith for blessings and good fortune. She believes that oiling and decorating the body helps the soul depart peacefully. Over the past 11 years, Patil has done this for close to 13,200 corpses.

While funeral rituals vary depending on the community, Hindus take the corpse and cremate the remains on a funeral pyre. The corpse is oiled to avoid odour and stiffness, allowing it to burn faster. But massaging the corpse before cremation is a practice rarely followed as not many are willing to come forward for the process. Patil is probably the only female embalmer, not only in Maharashtra, but perhaps all of India.

Going beyond tradition

Hindu women aren't allowed inside a crematorium. The tradition stems from the belief that women are sensitive and cannot bear the scene of a cremation. Although many women don't believe in the tradition any more, very few attend the cremation. It's no surprise then that Patil was discriminated against by many initially, and was subject to discouragement from families whose dead relative's body she intended to clean, massage and decorate before cremation.

After several obstacles, things have changed for Patil. "Now people call me themselves, from across cities and states, to massage their dead relatives. However, I don't go as I do this only for blessings and self-satisfaction. It's not a business for me. I give this service free of cost," she said. Her constant support has been her husband, she says. "This was possible due to encouragement from my husband and parents. I did get disheartened when people discriminated against me, but my family never let me down."

Source of contentment

She carries out the voluntary work at Amardham mortuary in Nashik, and stays in its campus with her husband and two children. The youngest of 10 children, Patil's parents belong to the eighth generation of morticians that have served at the crematorium. This is why she is not afraid of the process, calling it 'routine' for the family.

Her husband earns between Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 a month but that doesn't deter Patil from offering her services free of cost. "I feel satisfied after serving each corpse which is brought here. I also see to it that the remains are cremated till the end. Sometimes families don't wait until the remains turn to ashes."

A challenging task

She has no fixed work timings as bodies are brought in at any time. Explaining the procedure, Patil says, "The first step is to remove the clothing wrapped around the corpse. After it's placed on the pyre, I begin by cleaning it. Cleaning a corpse that has had a natural death is easy, while one from an accident is time consuming."

Corpses that arrive from post-mortem are particularly difficult, recounts Patil. The bold woman refrains from discriminating against deaths by diseases such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, and leprosy. "My objective is to let the deceased have a cremation devoid of difficulties and in the least possible time," she adds.

While Patil does not charge for her services, she accepts money at times when relatives of the deceased offer. On an average, she treats between 100 and 110 corpses per month. She has received over 300 awards from across Maharashtra for her service.