Offering his highland for the burial of the dead in the flood-ravaged Kerala is one way to God for Kuruvila Kulanjikompil Samuel.
Mr. Samuel, a pastor at True Disciple Church, has offered his 25-cent holding located near Holy Cross-Anandapally Road in the 2nd ward of the Adoor Municipality, for all those who are struggling to identify dry land to bury their dear ones.
“There are no homes in the vicinity of my holding, which is connected with a wide concrete road that was laid earlier. I am offering my holding for the burial of the flood-victims, irrespective of their caste, creed or religion.
“I took the decision after learning that many people were finding it difficult to identify safe and dry places for the burial of the dead,” said Mr. Samuel, who is a Delhi-based manpower consultant.
Since Mr. Samuel went live with his Facebook video and posted a message in his time line, his telephone hasn’t fallen silent for a minute.
“My phone (Mobile number 98713 58055) has been ringing incessantly after posting the message and most of the callers wanted to confirm the veracity of the message posted. Till now, no one has called seeking permission for the burial of the dead,” Mr. Samuel told The Hindu .
Only condition
The only condition set by the pastor for using his land is that the relatives of the dead need to get all the official permissions cleared for the burial all by themselves.
“I believe in God. I am a follower of the Christ and I want the world to know Him through my acts and deeds. Also, this is one way of expressing my love towards humanity,” when asked about the reasons that prompted him to take the unusual decision, Mr. Samuel said.
The Facebook post ( https://www.facebook.com/kuruvila.k.samuel/posts/10212381648917445? hc_location=ufi ) went viral as it was shared 2.9K and had 38K views at the time of going to press.
K.S. George, his brother, who is living near the holding, supported wholeheartedly his brother’s decision.
“I stay at a place near the proposed site. We shall offer the holding for the flood victims for a decent burial,” said Mr. George, who is the Adoor correspondent of a Malayalam language daily.
