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| The departed undertaker 'Odum Pillai' Rajendran |
Writing obituary is a way to express
one's emotional views on someone dear, that bade farewell to the
worldly life. But, the recent death of a vettiyaan or
undertaker, who had given decent burials to thousands of unclaimed
dead bodies, received few obituaries in the city. Nevertheless,
P.Shanthakumar, founder of Thozhar Trust, a voluntary
organisation, which is committed to give dignified burials to
unclaimed dead bodies, pays a tribute on his gravedigger-friend
'Odumpillai' Rajendran of Puliyakulam.
The history of 'Marathon' race, as
anyone knows, is from a Greek messenger's act of running a long
distance till Athens to announce the joyful news of Persians'
defeat in the battle of Marathon. But, the undertaker Rajendran's act
was to 'run' to different villages and announce the sad news of one's
death in a particular community. He also had to return gasping by
the run to bury the dead body. Hence, the man was called 'Odum
Pillai', a designation in a particular community in the yesteryear
Coimbatore, when the city had little bus facility.
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| Women involved by Thozhar Trust in burying dead bodies |
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| P.Shanthakumar |
Admiring the priceless mission of
Rajendran, Shanthakumar points out:
“ A Vettiyaan (undertaker)
employed in a corporation cemetery is not given any salary, but just
entitled to bury the dead. And his source of income is only the
paltry sum provided by the kin of the deceased. Nevertheless,
Rajendran would accept any amount of money, whenever we requested
him to bury the decomposed, unclaimed dead bodies. Residing with his
family members in the corporation cemetery, Puliyakulam, Rajendran
was always glad to carry out his priceless mission”
Shanthakumar
also recalls that his undertaker-friend had never hesitated to render
his service even when Thozhar Trust
took around ten to fifteen dead bodies for burial.
“ Rajendran,
who had given dignified burial to as many as 2000 unclaimed dead
bodies, was of great support to Thozhar Trust.
Whenever I visited his home in the corporation cemetery to give his
remuneration, he would tell me that the payment was not so urgent to
him. The great man's demise is an irreparable loss to the world of
social workers” added Shanthakumar.
Karuppusamy,
district coordinator, Thamizhar Urimai Munnani, points out:
“ The
term 'Odum Pillai' was a designation for a man in the Devendrakula
Vellalar community. However
Rajendran, who rendered his service within the community, later
converted it as his occupation”
Echoing
Karuppusamy's views, M.Elangovan, a stage drum player and music
teacher, says:
“ In
our locality Kuniamuthur, the 'Odum Pillai' would not deliver just
the news of death, but also carry messages on marriages and temple
festivals. But, in due course, such varied services of him must have
branched out from his act of delivering death news. Despite his title
'Odumpillai' he never needed to 'run' and deliver a message on a
temple festival. Because, the happy news of a shrine's consecration
is not so emergent to be delivered as that of a man's death”
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