The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Treating the dead with dignity

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Sunday, Nov 16, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Treating the dead with dignity

Special Correspondent

A day in the life: A photo of Praveen taken by photographer K. Venkatesh.

BANGALORE: It is not uncommon for children to take up their parents’ profession. But Praveen Kumar’s decision to follow in his father’s footsteps is an unusual choice. His father, Trivikrama Mahadeva, spent his life getting unclaimed bodies cremated.

Twenty-one-year-old Praveen arrives on a motorcycle at the mortuary of the government-run Victoria Hospital every afternoon, travelling 7 km from his home in Rajarajeshwarinagar. Here, unidentified or unclaimed bodies are handed over to him for burial.

What is young Praveen’s life like? Photographer K. Venkatesh has captured images of a typical day in the life of this extraordinary individual in a series titled “Grateful Dead”. The pictures will be on display at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat from November 17 to 19 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The pictures capture every step of the journey, from the time Praveen carries the bodies wrapped in white cloth to a waiting autorickshaw to the final resting place of the bodies, the Wilson Garden crematorium.

Praveen, who has passed his B.A. examination with distinction, is currently doing a postgraduate course in social work.

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