I have seen such a large number of burning pyres together for the first time and in one day in three cremation ghats of Delhi, we saw this scene of sorrow and pity. The corpses that were burning were all victims of the corona virus.
On Saturday, I saw people battling with oxygen, ICU beds, ventilators and medicines in Delhi hospitals. I saw the relatives of many people who breathed their last in tears. In the cremation ghats on Monday, we saw elderly, young men and children hugging each other and weeping. Saw the people waiting for their turn to burn the pyre and when the cremation ghat too became small, they saw a mashshift crematorium being built in the open ground so that the corpses coming forward could be burnt.
In Delhi, the number of people who die from Covid 19 every day is being officially reported as between 350 and 400. I saw more than 100 pyres burning in three cremation ghats in just a few hours.
Adjacent to Ring Road in Sarai Kale Khan, there is an electric crematorium away from the traffic congestion. On the one hand, many pyres were burning simultaneously and on the other side preparations were being made for the cremation of dead bodies. There was a crowd of relatives, ambulances and servants. About 10-12 bodies were being burnt at one time.
Makeshift cremation ground in open ground
The same pandit was present there to conduct the last rites and he was so busy that it was difficult to talk to him. When I started taking videos from my phone, the phone stopped working due to heat. I was thinking that such a strong phone became hot in five minutes, but since when will these priests have been performing the last rites between the sholas. I went close to him and asked how many funeral pyres are burning every hour, so without looking at me, he said, “24 hours dead bodies are coming here, how to remember the numbers.”
Every few minutes, after taking the body, one after the other, the third ambulance was coming in after the second. My head started spinning. I have covered extremist attacks, killings and incidents but have not seen mass funerals before. One was the difficulty of being able to stand there due to the heat of the fire emanating from the pyre, the heat of the sun from above and then the body covered in PPE protection from head to toe. Maybe I was too emotional.
After standing on one side for a while, when I got out of there, a female reporter told me that at some distance, a mashshift crematorium is being built in the open ground.
When I went there, I saw that many laborers are making 20-25 platforms for pyre in the open field. A person present there said that this is a preparation for the coming days when the number of people who die from Kovid will increase even more.
A youth wearing a similar kit was sitting on a bench on the side. Gusum sa He told me that his father died on Monday morning. He was Kovid positive. He reached there earlier. His brother was about to bring his father’s body from the hospital. He cried after a few moments. Some people present there started giving him courage.
All the people present there had come to say goodbye to their relatives. So it was natural that they were understanding each other’s pain on this delicate occasion.
