NEW DELHI: Even the dead have dignity. The Supreme Court said this in a different context earlier this year. But Monisha Bhatia realised this several years ago.
“I was travelling on Meerut Road when I saw a body lying there. A crowd had gathered around it, but no one was willing to take any action. This made me realise that something needed to be done about this. Every individual deserves a proper and respectful cremation,” says the 42-year-old social worker.
The incident moved Bhatia to make it her mission to give the dead a dignified farewell. She has been tirelessly working for the past four years to ensure that unclaimed bodies are not just ‘disposed of’ but last rites of the deceased are performed with duly.
She founded an NGO, Indian Brave Hearts, in May 2014 through which she is carrying out her noble work now. It’s a team of eight members and around 300 volunteers and they keep track of such incidents through newspapers and news channels. “Through our members and volunteers, we also circulate our toll-free numbers across the national capital so that people can inform us whenever they find any dead body lying unattended or unclaimed. We coordinate with the police, visit the site of the incident and help to perform the last rites of such persons,” Bhatia said.
According to Bhatia, when a person dies in an accident, or when an unclaimed body is found, it may not be always possible for the police to trace the family of the deceased. The responsibility of the police ends once they cremate it.
But the NGO does make an effort to trace the family of the deceased. “Bhatia and her NGO’s contribution to the cause is commendable. We hope more people come forward and help us give dignified last rites to the dead,” a senior police officer said.
The social worker credits her success to the support she receives from her family. “When I started this initiative, my family showed full support. My children are proud that their mother does a work like this.” Some other NGOs and organisations, such as Jagriti Mission (Madhya Pradesh) and Chetra Bajaja (Agra), have joined hands with ‘Indian Brave Hearts’ to spread Bhatia’s noble work outside the national capital. The NGO has also instituted an award, ‘Delhi Gaurav Award’, to honour individuals, civic bodies, public and private organisations and corporates who contribute towards the cause, so that more people are inspired to join the mission.