Ayodhya: Ayodhya's eminent social worker Mohammad Sharif, known as the "heir of unclaimed corpses", was awarded the Padma Shri by President Ram Nath Kovind in Delhi on Monday evening. He has got this honour for his contribution to the field of social service.
Although the announcement was made on January 25, 2020, due to the pandemic situation the award ceremony could not be held at that time. After one and a half years Mohammad Sharif received the award. His achievement brought a reason to cheer the residents of the district. His family is also jubilant.
It started about 25 years ago when Mohammad Sharif's son died in Sultanpur and his body was cremated as unclaimed. The pangs of being unable to perform the last rites of his son and the fact that his body was cremated as unclaimed gave a new aim in life to Mohammad Sharif who vowed that from that day onwards no one in his knowledge would die as an unclaimed person.
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Since then he spends most of his time at the district hospital. As soon as he gets the news of an unclaimed person or any information about an unclaimed body, he reaches there with a handcart and performs the last rights with full respect.
A cycle mechanic by profession, Mohammad Sharif is engaged in social work for the last 40 years. His work of creating the unclaimed bodies of the sick and those who died in accidents. Having sincere respect for all religions, Mohammad Sharif performs the last rites of the deceased according to the customs of the religion he or she was associated with. He lives in a room inside the Palm Pillow Cemetery located in the Rikabganj area of the city
If the deceased is a Hindu then his last rites are performed on the banks of the Sarayu River, and the person is buried if he is a Muslim.
