KENDRAPARA: In a remarkable display of communal harmony, a 45-year-old Muslim woman has been maintaining a Hindu cremation ground in Kendrapara town since more than a decade.
A resident of Ranapada, Samsun Bibi is taking care of the cremation ground near her riverside house since 2012. Remarkably, she does the work without any remuneration.
Her work includes sweeping and cleaning the cremation ground. She has also planted many trees at the cremation place which spans over an acre of land. Every day, she waters the saplings and 30 Neem trees which she has planted there, said Sarat Behera of Khadianga who recently performed the last rites of his father at the cremation ground.
Locals said previously, it was increasingly difficult to prevent stray dogs and livestock from entering the cremation ground. But now, no animal can to enter the place as Samsun keeps the gate locked and guards the ground.
Samsun says she honours the cremation place equally as the nearby burial ground of Muslims. “I’m here to ensure its protection and upkeep. Even during the worst of Covid times, I performed my duties sincerely.”
Samsun lives with her three daughters and husband in a small thatched house near the cremation ground “There is no pressure on me from my family or Muslim relatives. In fact, they support my work to clean the Hindu cremation ground every day,” she says. Her husband Sk Soleman is a daily wager.
Samsun’s work has brought to fore the interfaith harmony in the area. Senior lawyer of Kendrapara Umesh Chandra Singh said at a time when communal harmony and religious tolerance have become rare commodities in today’s society, Samsun Bibi is a symbol of hope.
Executive officer of Kendrapara municipality Ashutosh Gourav admitted that the civic body doesn’t pay any money to Samsun for her service. “Samsun Bibi has been maintaining the cremation ground for a long time. We are not paying any money to her. Sometimes, relatives and family members of dead persons pay her for her service,” he added.