Funeral Services Provided by a Woman

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http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/printedition/060803/detNAT09.shtml

 

KERALA, INDIA, August 5, 2003: After her husband abandoned her twenty

years ago, Gomathi, a Palghat brahmin, took the advice of an uncle and

began to offer her services to bereaved families. Within hours of

hearing about the death in a family, Gomathi arrives with a priest,

books the crematorium and a hearse, and she even accompanies the body

to the funeral pyre. Even though Hindu women are not traditionally

involved with last rites, the brahmins who received funeral agent

services from Gomathi were impressed and grateful for her service.

Gomathi's daughter Karpagam, who lost her husband a few years ago, also

works with her mother. The mother and daughter team have handled more

than 10,000 funerals. One brahmin gentleman, who was unable to attend

his mother's funeral, asked Gomathi to light the funeral pyre. He knew

from past experience when his father died that the ceremony would be

handled sensitively. Venkatraman of the Brahmin Sabha says, "When

Gomathi displayed courage to take this as her profession, we were

morally bound to support her."