Many people tend to take up social activities, be it feeding the poor or giving old clothes to the destitutes. But only a few would tread the path of serving the dead, especially when the bodies are unclaimed, in decomposed state or if it is of a destitute who would have died of HIV/AIDS.
But for Vanapalli Ravi Kumar, a former corporator of Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), giving a decent burial to unclaimed and unidentified bodies is a work e has taken up with dedication and is passionate about it.
Since 2011, when he first took up the job, he has buried about 150 unclaimed bodies, till date.
“My mobile number is there with almost all the beggars in Visakhapatnam city and the police. Whenever I receive a call, I and my team members rush to the spot, and after the ‘panchnama’ is done by the police, we clean up the body, cover it up with white cloth, garland it and give it a decent burial as per the norms. If we know the religion of the deceased, we do the rituals as per the religious customs. Recently, we buried a Muslim beggar after the ‘holy bath’ as per their custom, called a ‘Kazi’ and buried him amidst the chanting of the Koran,” said Mr. Ravikumar.
Heart rending cases
There were cases when the bodies were highly decomposed due to illness, and Ravikumar and his team did not hesitate to lift them with bare hands and do the needful. “A few we have buried had died of AIDS. A doctor had once told us that the virus dies with the death of the patient. There were also cases when the bodies were badly mutilated with acute gangrene and maggots all over,” he told The Hindu .
But according to him, what touches him the most is the background of the unclaimed destitute bodies.
“Many of them are deserted by their family members. There are cases where children, after taking over the property, have pushed their parents on to the road and women deserted by their husbands and lovers. Well it is difficult to ascertain their background, of all but sometimes beggars associated with them tell us the heart-rending stories,” said Mr. Ravikumar.
On how did he pick up the work he said, “It was a promise made to my father.
Six months before my father died, he asked me what I would like to do to serve the people that others do not do. I gave stereotyped reply like feeding the poor and educating children. He then told me to serve the unclaimed dead. And since then I have been doing it.”
He has started two organisations: Sai Priya Foundation and Satya Prasanna Charitable Trust.
Apart from serving the dead, he feeds about 500 beggars every Sunday and takes up medical camp for the poor. He funds his projects from his own resources and contributions from his friends.
