I read the whole article & I feel our Hindu system of cremation & then spreading the ashes in the river is fine, but we malyalees who used to live in ancestral homes, whenever someone from the family passed away, we would conduct the rituals and then the body would we cremated in one corner of the huge plot of land and then we would plant a mango & jackfruit tree there. I think we were already making up for the wood used in burning & this was afforestation too, but nowadays if you are in the municipal limits you are not allowed to do it.
I read the whole article & I feel our Hindu system of cremation & then spreading the ashes in the river is fine, but we malyalees who used to live in ancestral homes, whenever someone from the family passed away, we would conduct the rituals and then the body would we cremated in one corner of the huge plot of land and then we would plant a mango & jackfruit tree there. I think we were already making up for the wood used in burning & this was afforestation too, but nowadays if you are in the municipal limits you are not allowed to do it.
Seriously this is a topic that people need to think about no matter how uncomfortable they may feel cos disposing the dead in a manner in which we don’t end up occupying space is something that needs to be faced. Place for people to live is more important. Very nicely written cos in my opinion it isn’t an easy topic to write about.
Hey Shubha, Thanks for reading and commenting about it. Yes, this was a difficult post to write. But hear this, it's the post with the least open rate. No one wants to think about, let alone read about this hairy topic. I just found this country's situation worth talking about. A city, a country and an island. How challenging this is in every way? So it's creative and having to optimize with everything.
I read the whole article & I feel our Hindu system of cremation & then spreading the ashes in the river is fine, but we malyalees who used to live in ancestral homes, whenever someone from the family passed away, we would conduct the rituals and then the body would we cremated in one corner of the huge plot of land and then we would plant a mango & jackfruit tree there. I think we were already making up for the wood used in burning & this was afforestation too, but nowadays if you are in the municipal limits you are not allowed to do it.
I read the whole article & I feel our Hindu system of cremation & then spreading the ashes in the river is fine, but we malyalees who used to live in ancestral homes, whenever someone from the family passed away, we would conduct the rituals and then the body would we cremated in one corner of the huge plot of land and then we would plant a mango & jackfruit tree there. I think we were already making up for the wood used in burning & this was afforestation too, but nowadays if you are in the municipal limits you are not allowed to do it.
Seriously this is a topic that people need to think about no matter how uncomfortable they may feel cos disposing the dead in a manner in which we don’t end up occupying space is something that needs to be faced. Place for people to live is more important. Very nicely written cos in my opinion it isn’t an easy topic to write about.
Hey Shubha, Thanks for reading and commenting about it. Yes, this was a difficult post to write. But hear this, it's the post with the least open rate. No one wants to think about, let alone read about this hairy topic. I just found this country's situation worth talking about. A city, a country and an island. How challenging this is in every way? So it's creative and having to optimize with everything.
Really enjoyed reading this piece! On the topic of graves and history, I thought you may find these interesting sites to explore: https://thelongnwindingroad.wordpress.com/2013/12/01/a-vestige-of-16th-century-singapura/. I have been to this kramat and the Radin mas kramat in 2017. The shacks make it impossible to find the entrance to the graveyard, but the history is very intriguing. You may find Bukit Brown cemetery interesting as well- several members of the public have been campaigning to save the cemetery from redevelopment. https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-03-06/la-fg-singapore-bukit-brown