At St Inez, Panaji there is a large ground that hosts a Hindu crematorium and a burial ground for deceased Lingayats and infants. The former one is well-constructed and with a greater number of stalls for pyres. At the wide lobby there are ambulances for help and taps to wash our legs after the rituals. Some people remove their footwear at the entrance, while most keep wearing them even near the pyres. The Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP), which issues the NOC for burial and cremation and overlooks their affairs, should display a board informing the people to remove their footwear. Just as we leave footwear outside places of worships, let us do the same and respect the deceased persons at all the crematoriums in India. When it is said, “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust," then why should we bother about our feet getting dirty, for a few minutes, at the crematoriums? By-the-by, in the same compound exist a masjid and a burial ground for Muslims and 500 m away is a church and cemetery.
SRIDHAR D IYER, Caranzalem
