A poignant reflection on the nature of death, funerals, and the celebration of life amidst sorrow.
Funerals are sad occasions. But there is a tendency nowadays to celebrate rather than mourn the departed soul in the belief that the dead person is now free of the rigours of life on earth and, according to Greek mythology, is enjoying life in the Elysian Fields in the underworld or living a life of serenity and bliss up in heaven as Christians believe.
But no matter how much we try to glorify death, it remains a traumatic and painful experience for the deceased’s family.
So it was with one of my wife’s relatives from Havenside who possibly died from a massive heart attack. Siva had just celebrated his 63rd birthday when death cruelly struck him down in the early hours of Saturday morning.
What makes this rather poignant is that Siva had lost his father when he was just six weeks old and was not only his mother’s only child but was also stricken down by a disability. It was a terrible blow for an old, sickly mother who is wheel-chair bound.
The funeral was not a grand, showy event but rather simple and dignified.
No long, boring speeches but just one speaker and the usual funeral rites. I like these simple funerals.
I noticed a black worker in his shabby clothes go up to the coffin, perform the Hindu rites and then kiss the mother. Another Muslim relative wearing the hijab also performed the rites. Death does not discriminate. No matter who you are, it strikes you down. It is the ultimate leveller.
When I was young I did not care about death.
Like Huckleberry Finn I ‘took no stock in the dead.’ I and seldom went to funerals.
But as I get older death is constantly on my mind. I realize how inevitable death is. We may prolong our lives by a few years but we can never keep away death’s icy hands.
T MARKANDAN | Kloof
The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media or IOL.
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