The interview of Patel Ramjee
I interviewed my friend Patel Ramjee who said he was born in Goa, India. He told me that the Indian funeral customs are being affected by modernity, but they still remain unique. The Indian cultural beliefs are all done according to the Hinduism religion. In India, the majority of people practice the Hindu religion, thus making its beliefs a trademark of Indian society. Patel claimed that funeral and mourning rites form part of the most respected beliefs of the Hindus society.
Patel said that the funeral traditions start being exercised even before the person dies. When the person feels that he is approaching death, he/she will assemble all his relatives and loved ones in his bed. They will together say a sacred utterance called a mantra. This utterance is supposed to bring comfort to the family and the departing soul. For the departing soul, reciting the mantra is a form of asking forgiveness from the creator for the wrongs the soul has done on earth.
After the person dies, the deceased body is placed in an open casket for viewed. The relatives and the loved ones are allowed to view the body but not to touch it. The Hinduism culture and traditions do not allow the preservation of the body using chemicals or drugs. In the funeral service, people are also forbidden to wear black attire. White attire is mostly encouraged, where both men and women wear it. Patel stated that a small service is conducted for the departed where everyone present will say Hindu hymns, prayers and mantras
After the prayers have been done, Patel said that the cremation ceremony follows. This is what is referred to as funeral services in common settings. He stated that the cremation service is one aspect of the Indian tradition that has been affected by modernity. In traditional times, cremation services were done in the Ganges River. Here, the oldest male in the family, Karta, played the key role. He was supposed to circle the deceased three times in an anticlockwise direction while sprinkling the holy water. After that, he would light the already built pyre, which signified the beginning of the cremation process. Today, the process is done in the crematory. However, Patel said some rituals, such as sprinkling holy water have not been left behind. Also, the Karta presses the button of the cremation machine to begin the cremation process. After the cremation ceremony, there is a mourning period that mostly involves the family members. The family is supposed to stay indoors for 13 days without going to work or going to the temples. They are also not supposed to visit other people’s homes or festivals. However, they can be visited by neighbors or friends.
The Indian funeral and bereavement customs have various similarities and differences with my customs. Firstly, my custom allows black attire at the funeral. Also, there is a burial for the deceased, and cremation is not common. The other difference is that the burial process is conducted by the priest and not the oldest male in the family as it is in Indian customs. Also, the mourning period is not restricted, like in Indian customs. A person can decide the days he wants to mourn and the places he wants to visit. The similarities in two customs include the prayers before the person dies and a mourning period after the funeral.