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Cecil has raised a sensitive subject, but one that must be aired nevertheless.
I agree that we can respect the dead without an expensive wooden coffin. Both
Hindus and
Muslims (if I am not mistaken) use cloth for the final rites. Even Biblical
pictures depict Christ being laid to rest swaddled in linen cloths. The coffin
or casket is most likely a European invention, probably climate related.
But have we given thought to the ground contamination caused by burial ? A
person may
die due to a serious illness such as Typhoid or Cholera. All the germs go into
the ground
eventually making their way into the water table and underground aquifers.
Cremation as practiced by our Hindu bretheren is a far better alternative.
"Dust thou art and unto dust
thou shall return" Cremation just speeds up the process. As long as we do not
use a
lot of wood in the cremation process, and use an Electrically heated
crematorium, we
may be more environmentally correct.
In the USA, where funerals cost upwards of 5 lakhs for a simple funeral, the
body is laid to
rest in an expensive furniture quality casket, which is then (I think dictated
by Law) placed in waterproofed concrete outer casket in the ground, perhaps to
prevent pathogens from
seeping into the ground.
I realize that this is a very sensitive topic which will probably cause howls
of ptotest by the
clergy, as it "upsets the apple cart" of established cultural and religious
practices.
The cremation process also saves a lot of valuable land used for burials by
Christians and
Muslims. As for treating the human remains with dignity at the time of death,
what about
after death ? Three years after burial,(in Goa at least) the remains are dug
up and thrown somewhere, unless someone can afford to place the bones in a
niche in the cemetery wall.
I applaud Cecil's desire to have his remains donated to a medical college for
training purposes for new doctors. Hopefully not too many people will choose
this route or else
our medical colleges will be inundated with corpses.
Again, my apologies for commenting on a very sensitive issue.
