Udupi (Karnataka): In Karnataka's Muduru and Jadkal villages of Kundapur taluk, cremating dead bodies in the courtyard of the houses is not a surprising incident as the village lacks a proper crematorium or even a place to cremate the dead. As the villagers faced the issue very often, Muduru Agricultural Co-operative Society has introduced an unique cremation machine and named it 'Mobile Crematorium' or 'Sanchari Smashana'.
The two villagers under the Jadkal Gram Panchayat of Byndur Assembly Constituency of Udupi District have been facing the problem for a very long time. A 50-year-old man from Muduru Udayanagar, who died due to illness in May last year was cremated in the courtyard of his house which lead to the fire spreading through the walnut and coconut trees growing next to the pyre.
Muduru Agricultural Co-operative Society president M. Vijaya Shastri, vice president Nakshatra Bovi, and Director and Chief Executive Officer Prabhakar Pujari took the initiative in the wake of the demand of the people. The cost of the machine is covered by the death fund of the Co-operative Society and also the Muduru Agricultural Co-operative Society for the transportation of machines, gas, and other expenses for cremation.
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Measuring approximately 7 feet long, 2 feet wide, and 4 feet high, this cremation machine runs on gas and electricity. If there is no electricity, cremation is possible only with gas. A dead body is first put into the inner chamber of the machine, then camphor is applied and then then the gas valve is opened. The cremation process is completed within a few minutes.
The machine environment-friendly as 10 kg of gas and 100 grams of camphor are required for cremation. The cost of this machine is Rs 5.80 lakh.
