I recollect a Hindi song from the great Bollywood movie of 1960 ‘Dhool ka Phool’, which translates to – you will neither be a Hindu nor a Muslim; you are an offspring of humanity, you will just be a human being. The song is even more relevant today when the world including India is ravaged in the name of religion, stamping the authority and superiority of one’s creed over the other. We talk of Goa as a land where people of different communities co-exist peacefully. But what do we observe as regard to making land available for burying the dead of minority communities?
The Hindus and Catholics being the two majority groups may have sufficient crematoriums and cemeteries but the Muslim community has been repeatedly demanding that they are not provided with kabrastans in many places to lay their dead to rest. Likewise the Protestants, a denomination of Christianity, are a minority in Goa and have raised the issue of lack of space to bury their dead. No matter what the differences are, the government is duty bound to provide suitable burial ground for all the communities.
In this regard we concur with the views expressed by the Urban Development Minister Francis D’Souza that a common burial ground has been earmarked in Mapusa, which will be divided to cater to the needs of the different communities. He has further said that a portion of this land will also be set aside for the disposal of the unclaimed bodies. At this juncture, I would like to make an important point. If the dead person is an atheist, who does not owe allegiance to any of the manmade religions, nor believes in the Gods created therein to suit man’s needs, what would be his fate? Where will he be buried? Let us realise that just as it is the right of one individual to adhere to any religion of his choice, it is also the right of another to abandon all religions and just cling to humanity, free of all shackles. Are we going to deny a burial place for him?
Realising the vagaries of religion, parts of the western world have been progressively pronouncing that they are not religious and so will the wave move steadily in other parts as well. The government should be seized of this problem and ensure that a portion of all burial grounds is set aside for non-believers as well.
