BENGALURU: Work at the graveyard
I have been working here for five years now. I don’t know how many graves we dig every day - some days there are so many, there is simply not enough time for all of them, other days there are none.
Why did you choose this job
Because this is something I can do. I don’t have any other option.
But people are never happy when they come here...
Yes, no one can be happy when they come here. But, that does not effect us because we have been working here for long. They express sadness and leave, but as I need money to fill my stomach, I have to stay here.
What is the process?
We are two of us here. We work together. We are informed in advance. It takes three hours to dig a grave. It can vary depending on the land. We use shovels, picks, mattocks. The measurement of the grave remains constant -- 6/3 feet.
What have you learnt here?
Once people reach their grave, they are all equal. We also treat the bodies that way.
You stay here with family, but many people avoid passing by a grave.
I don’t care about what people think or believe. I have two sons -- one is studying and the other one is working. People have several other beliefs. Avoiding graves is just one of them.