KANNUR: Even as the concept of a casteless society is being propagated relentlessly there seems to be no solution in sight for this prejudice as sickeningly the caste identity plays an important role even in finding a suitable land for cremation. As shortage of public crematoriums has begun to create new ruptures in the public consciousness even in Kannur, an outwardly highly politicised district, attempts to seize the land once marked for the dead under the guise of solving traffic jams, have also turned out to be a matter of heated debates of late.
In a recent incident, A P Abdullakutty MLA who argued for utilising part of the age-old crematorium in Kannur town owned by Thiyya community for road expansion, was allegedly attacked and silenced by his own party men. Earlier, the situation at Payyambalam crematorium turned volatile as some old tombs there were destructed.
Rumours were rife then that real estate mafia which was impatiently waiting for preying upon the land was behind the crime which they hoped would lead to the stopping of cremation at Payyambalam in the near future. Finding land to ensure a decent cremation for the departed often throws their kith and kin in emotional turmoil as several panchayats in the state lack cremation grounds.
In Kannur, even from distant villages people come to Payyambalam with the corpses of those who shared moments of pleasure and pain with them for many years. But they are forced to wait for agonisingly long hours and it is a common sight to see relatives who remit the fee in advance and reach in time, engage in heated arguments with crematorium employees.
The issues concerning crematoriums may not be limited to Kannur and even a movie ‘Kanapadam’ (The Invisible Lesson) discussing the idea of sharing graveyards directed by a Kozhikode-based filmmaker was released in 2013. “When some communities have enough burial grounds, people belonging to the lowest rung of the social ladder in other communities are often forced to bury their dead bodies within the four walls of their small homes in the absence of own land or public graveyards. The movie intends to share the idea of sharing graveyards with people of other communities,” director Ameen Jawher had said.
Meanwhile, in search of a permanent solution for the problem the idea of establishing crematorium on the basis of caste crops up. In some villages, caste groups demand to earmark separate areas for them in public crematoriums and local bodies are forced to surrender. Amidst arguments over crematoriums, many old crematoriums under the possession of different caste groups, which were almost in an abandoned state were recently renovated and and sign boards were put up.
There is at least one instance for a caste group holding a press conference for announcing the establishment of a new crematorium for those coming under their fold. The immediate provocation behind such moves might probably be controversies related to Payyambalam crematorium, the ownership of which was officially granted to Thiyya Samudaya Savasamskara Sahakarana Sangham in 1870 which later allowed cremation of people belonging to other communities too.
Recently, many new outfits upholding caste identities have emerged in the district and that has been observed by many, as a factor contributing to the weakening of political awareness. Though political parties in the region have not yet expressed apprehensions about the fresh enthusiasm for establishing crematoriums on the basis of caste, they have begun to open eyes to the woes that common men undergo owing to the lack of adequate number of crematoriums.
CPM district secretary P Jayarajan came out openly with a statement demanding that all local bodies should build public crematoriums and the state government must approve all pending applications in this regard at the earliest.
He said that lack of public crematoriums has turned out to be a grave issue as many nuclear families find it difficult to find area for cremation in their tiny plots of land.
“Twenty seven of the 81 grama panchayats in the district lack public graveyards and many among the existing crematoriums lack facilities for proper cremation,” he added.
Regarding Payyambalam crematorium Jayarajan said: “The situation at Payyambalam became miserable ever since it came under the control of the Pallikunnu panchayat. It is a common sight to see many families return with tearful eyes as they are denied permission to cremate bodies at Payyambalam. It can be seen only as an insult to dead bodies.”