Have you any idea whether people want to be cremated or buried after death? Read the results of a brief survey and its possible impact on crematoria. Interestingly, many want their bodies to be donated to medical schools too ...
THE SOCIETY for Serving Seniors, a non governmental organisation in Secunderabad, recently conducted a small survey asking people – all respondents were retirees above 55 – to state how they desire their bodies to be disposed of after death. Out of the 550 people to whom this was circulated, only 26 answered the questionnaire. The main reason for this low response was that old people did not want to discuss death and related issues!
The results of the survey are shown below:
Disposal Method
Number
%
Cremation – wood – traditional
1
3%
Burial, cemetery
1
3%
Donated to medical school
12
46%
Cremation, electrical
12
46%
Thrown into river for fishes
0
0
Mummified and preserved
0
0
In India, we continue to have traditional cremation with firewood at burning ghats and electric crematoria in State-maintained funeral homes. The latter have increased in number in recent years. I had the impression that, being tradition-bound, most people would not want to mess up with death-related activities. However, much to my surprise, I found that 46 per cent of the people surveyed, wanted to donate their bodies to medical schools and organ banks. Another 46 per cent preferred electric cremation but only a small percentage preferred going in for traditional firewood cremation. Those opting for burial, constituted just three per cent. The problem with burial is that it puts land to dead use. Land costs are skyrocketing and it is difficult to find enough land for burial grounds. At any point of time, the total number of dead will always be increasing compared with the living. You must have heard of the phrase 'joining the majority' which means 'ceasing to be'? Therefore, burial as a mode of disposal of the dead body should be done away with altogether. But since this is closely connected with religious sentiments, it will be difficult but worth attempting.Electrical cremation is fast and relatively pollution-free and eliminates the problem of bad odor. But they are power-intensive. The findings of this survey, show the need for establishing more electric crematoria. NGOs concerned with organ harvesting should increase their marketing activities so they reach the right type of people. It is very encouraging that many persons are willing to donate their bodies after death for useful purposes but as I mentioned, most people are wary of entertaining any talk about death. And death-related customs and rituals are adhered to more out of social pressure than out of free will. To donate one’s body for medical research involves courage and conviction. This happy trend must be encouraged through sensitising senior citizens. This can be achieved through Senior Citizen Associations and NGOs working with elders.
