November 6th, 2001

The rituals of death are elaborate and most complicated especially for the families of the dead who belong to the majority, Hindu community. The chief mourner has to shave the hairs of the head wear special dresses and eat special food. All those who attend the obsequies are required to go straight home from the cremation and have a ritual bath of purification before anything else can be done. Even the anniversary requires an elaborate ritual which includes a havan or fire sacrifice for purification. In all this brahmins do the puja or orisons and collect substantial offerings.

There is no room for obituaries to be written as information for the general public and some comfort for the bereaved. This means that the British rule of two centuries followed by rule for substantial periods by the anglicised like Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira and Rajiv Gandhi has not had any effect in this area.

Even the I.C.S. described as not Indian have not built this tradition by having obituaries ready for all their senior colleagues so that an updated version can be dispatched to the News Agencies and newspapers when a death occurs.

The typical attitude may be exemplified by the reaction of a distinguished member of the service when he was asked to write an obit for a senior colleague who was held in high esteem and regard. ‘Send me his bio-data’ He had to be reminded that the dear departed was not applying for a job!

When obituaries do appear they are based upon the principle nil nisi bonum. Say nothing but good things about the dead. The death by accident of Madhav Rao Scindia had a number of [text missing]

In the West a more balanced attitude is taking shape and it is hoped that this practice is globalised.