Keeping memories of the dead alive – Ashes for creating park

Bhopal: Authorities have devised a novel method of reusing the ashes of unidentified COVID victims. The ashes of individuals who died of Covid-19 during the second wave of the pandemic this year are being used to create a park at a cremation in Bhopal.

The park is being built at the Bhadbhada Vishram Ghat with the help of 21 truckloads of COVID victims’ ashes, which were stored at the site since families were unable to collect them owing to virus-induced limitations, and appropriate disposal posed a problem to the administration.

According to an office-bearer of the cremation’s management committee, the park will be built on 12,000 square feet of ground at the crematorium in commemoration of people who perished as a result of the pandemic.

Mamtesh Sharma, the crematorium’s management committee secretary stated, ‘Over 6,000 bodies were cremated at Bhadbhada Vishram Ghat with strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocols during a 90-day period from March 15 to June 15. Most of the family members collected the bones but left the ashes due to the coronavirus-induced restrictions.’

He further added, ‘Due to this, 21 truckloads of ashes of the dead were left at the crematorium. It was hard and not environment-friendly to release the ashes into the Narmada river. Doing so could have polluted the river. So, we decided to develop a park with the ashes.’

According to Mamtesh Sharma, a land surface has been built on 12,000 square feet of land in the crematorium utilising the ashes of the deceased, dirt, cow manure, wood shavings, and sand, among other things. This garden is being created utilising Japan’s ‘Miyawaki technique,’ which can hold around 3,500-4,000 plants, he added.

Mr Sharma estimates that the plants will take 15 to 18 months to grow into trees using this approach.

Committee head Arun Choudhary said the decision was taken to keep the memories of the dead alive by constructing a park in the cremation premises. ‘We have urged the family members of those who lost their lives due to COVID-19, to participate in the plantation work. The management committee will take care of these plants till they grow into a tree,’ he said.