Kerala church allows Hindu woman’s cremation in cemetery, her husband too cremated there in June

For the second time, authorities of a Christian church made arrangements in their cemetery to conduct the cremation of a Hindu woman in the water-logged Kuttanad on Wednesday.
Relatives of Krishnaveni carry her body to St George Forane Church cemetery at Edathua in Alappuzha for cremation on Wednesday | Express
Relatives of Krishnaveni carry her body to St George Forane Church cemetery at Edathua in Alappuzha for cremation on Wednesday | Express

ALAPPUZHA: For the second time, authorities of a Christian church made arrangements in their cemetery to conduct the cremation of a Hindu woman in the water-logged Kuttanad on Wednesday.

The authorities of St George Forane Church, Edathua, allowed the family members to cremate the body of Krishnaveni, 85, wife of the late Sreenivasan of Puthenpurayil at Koilmukku, in the cemetery. A month ago, the body of Sreenivasan, who died of Covid, was also cremated in the cemetery.

According to Ajithkumar Pisharath, member of Chambakulam block panchayat, Krishnaveni died due to age-related illnesses on Tuesday.

“Her family has less than five cents and the house premises are under water. Hence, grama panchayat member Babu Mathuruthy contacted church authorities and vicar Fr Mathew Chooravadi who allowed the body to be cremated in the cemetery. He had also allowed the cremation of her husband in the cemetery last month,” Ajith said.

Church vicar Fr Mathew, trustee K M Mathew Thakazhiyil, parish committee member Bibil Mathew Kandathil and Alex Manjummal made the arrangements for the cremation.Many families in the Kuttanad region face trouble in cremating bodies of their dear ones in the rainy season as most of the house premises will be flooded. Some of them erect the funeral pyre on a platform made by tying plantain trees together on the water. Krishnaveni is survived by sons Remesh and Suresh and daughter Vijaya.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com