Express News Service
BHUBANESWAR: At 37, Madhusmita Prusty didn’t simply break a glass ceiling, she determined to do one thing that a lot of her ilk wouldn’t even dare to suppose. This mom of two left her nursing job at Fortis Hospital in Kolkata to cremate our bodies in her native state Odisha.
Defying the age-old Hindu custom that even resists the presence of ladies at funerals, she has cremated greater than 1,500 our bodies within the final 10 years. And amid the difficult Covid instances, she has cremated round 500 our bodies for the reason that starting of the pandemic in March final yr with out charging a penny. Madhusmita is cremating our bodies of each Covid sufferers and suspects at Jagamara, Bharatpur, Sundarpada, Khandagiri and Satya Nagar cremation grounds in Bhubaneswar.
A resident of Bhimtangi within the metropolis, Madhusmita ignored the hurtful feedback from mates and family members for donning the position of a cremator when she determined to sacrifice the Rs 30,000 per 30 days job and joined her husband Pradeep who was discovering it tough to cremate our bodies on their own.
“After my marriage, I completed BSc Nursing and joined Fortis in 2010. Whenever I was at home, I used to accompany my husband who has been cremating bodies for the last over two decades. I resigned from my job in mid-2019 to support him as some of his teammates got engaged elsewhere. Now I am cremating four to five bodies a day,” she mentioned.
Be it midnight or early morning, the gritty girl by no means says no to any caller. Once she will get a name, she readies herself in minutes and drives their ambulance to the spot. Sometimes, she does every part on her personal with out the assistance of Pradeep.
“Starting from lifting the body to pyre, arranging wood, ingredients for rituals and Brahmin, I do it alone. They say a person who arranges funerals earns merit for the afterlife, but I believe this is a lifetime opportunity to serve the society. I consider this as one of the noblest works one can do,” she maintained.
Sometimes unable to purchase PPE kits, she by no means forgets to make use of double masks whereas coping with Covid sufferers or Covid suspects.
Police officers additionally search the couple’s assist for amassing deserted our bodies from railway tracks and hospitals. The couple has now obtained a registered physique – Pradeep Seva Trust – via which they’re dedicated to proceed the noble work. While Madhusmita is now taking care of the cremations, Pradeep is merchandising greens and fruits to run their household of 4.
The cremation bills are met from the donations of belief members comprising just a few retired authorities workers.
“I had to sell my auto after finding it difficult to manage the family during last year’s lockdown. Since then she has been cremating bodies and I help her retrieve the bodies that are found floating in water bodies,” mentioned Pradeep.
Madhusmita mentioned her two youngsters – one daughter and a son – have been very supportive. As she works over eight to 10 hours a day, her daughter Jajnaseni and son Gurmeet prepare dinner for the household.
The dedication of the couple has been recognised by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), which has now tied up with the Trust for cremation of our bodies on the newly developed Bharatpur cremation floor.
