The writer says funerals have become extravagant occasions.
I RECENTLY attended the funeral of a relative at Hall 1 at the Clare Estate Umgeni Hindu Crematorium. The mourners who were gathered stood in silence as the immediate family whispered their final goodbyes before proceeding to the ante-chamber for cremation.
Anyone who has experienced the passing of a loved one knows how precious these last moments are. Unfortunately, the moment was rudely interrupted by the screeching sounds of a siren announcing the arrival of another funeral scheduled to take place in Hall 2.
That cortege comprised a long limousine hearse, complete with doors which opened upwards like wings, two family cars with flashing lights and two vehicles from a medical response emergency services with red lights flashing and sirens blaring. The noise completely disrespected the quiet space of the crematorium and the mourners from the other two ongoing funerals.
Some among us have become so used to this blatant behaviour of sounding the siren from a long way back. I was not amused in the least. I want to know who, actually, demands to know how this un-Hindu (not a real word) practice has come to be the norm.
