SALEM: Cemetery is a dreaded place to be at for many. But, for P Seetha, the Corporation graveyard in Salem gives her peace of mind. It’s her workplace, where she has buried about 10,000 bodies in the past 20 years.
It all began at the age of 13, when as a Class 8 student, Seetha saw her mother immolate herself after a quarrel with her father. Unable to bear the loss, she spent sleepless nights at her hometown, Pethanaickenpalayam, in the district.
A few days later, she came to Salem to meet her grandmother, who worked at the Corporation graveyard here, also known as the ‘TVS Burial Ground’. The family of Seetha’s grandfather had been employed at the graveyard for generations.
“My grandmother often told me to go to school, but I refused as I got peace of mind at the graveyard. I started helping her with her work, and have kept at it for the past 20 years. I’ve even buried bodies at midnight, and am not afraid. I don’t believe in ghost stories. I’ve been close to where bodies are buried at night, but have never felt anything unusual,” she says.
She explains that she’s not interested in getting married as she’s witnessed what had happened to her mother, and is reminded of it whenever she has to bury bodies of newly-married women. “I’m often unable to sleep after burying the bodies of children and teenage girls.” As for the challenges she faces, Seetha explains, “Bodies that are sent after postmortem are difficult to bury as we have to remove all the plastic they are wrapped in.” If these bodies are buried as they arrive, they would take 20-30 years to decompose, instead of the usual 3-4 months.
“If it’s a woman’s body, I remove the plastic items. If it’s a man’s, the helper does the job. But when he isn’t available, I do it myself”, she adds. Seetha’s father has expressed a desire to meet her, but she isn’t interested. “Though 20 years have passed, I’m not willing to see him as he is the reason for my mother killing herself. I have three elder sisters, and visit them every six months.”
She now takes rest and sleeps at night in a room in the cemetery which was renovated by a private NGO. “I had requested them to renovate the room last International Women’s Day. But, the work was delayed due to Covid-19, and was completed last month at Rs 1 lakh.” Seetha has a demand to the government. “At the end of DMK’s tenure in 2011, they announced that cemetery workers would receive a salary. We hope the Salem City Municipal Corporation (SCMC) and the government consider paying us accordingly.”