Delhi's body collector turns 80 - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Tandem · 07-29-2003, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Perhaps the most faithful of Delhi's unpaid city servants turns 80 on Tuesday, but has no plans to retire.

Mohammed Habib has had the grisly task of collecting the city's unclaimed corpses since he was 12.

He says he has disposed of hundreds of bodies - and all for free - in a country where millions live in poverty.

Mohammed Habib and his family live with only a plastic sheet for shelter near the GB Pant hospital in crowded Old Delhi and survive on small handouts from the police and public.

A familiar figure to many residents in the area around the hospital, he has lost track of the number of bodies he has collected.

"I picked up many dead bodies during the riots after Indira Gandhi's assassination and buried countless numbers of people during the partition of India and Pakistan," he told the BBC.

"I don't keep track of the numbers of bodies - there could be hundreds of them " ... Mohammed Habib

The wiry, bespectacled Mr Habib can usually be found just outside the hospital, sitting in his rickshaw waiting for a call from the police to pick up the latest body.

As one might expect, this undertaker with a difference has no fear of dead bodies.

He says there have been times when he has had to sleep with a corpse for the whole night to protect it from animals.

But he stresses that he would never sleep next to the body of a dead woman - he would instead sit by and guard it.

Fitting disposal

When it comes to deciding how to dispose of the bodies, Mr Habib says he looks for proof of their religion.

If the person is Muslim he buries them, otherwise he cremates the body.

His wife, Nabina, who is blind, helps him to carry the corpses.

The two met when he went to pick up the bodies of her parents who had been run over by a train.

They have a daughter who is married and lives with them, and a son who has died.

Mr Habib also once adopted a three-month-old baby whose mother, a Hindu, had been run over by a speeding train.

Himself a Muslim, he brought the girl up according to Hindu tradition and later got her married to a Hindu man.

Unpaid labours

Mr Habib gets nothing from the government for picking up the dead bodies.

Sometimes the police give him 100-200 rupees ($3-4) for removing a body and performing the last rites.

At other times he may be given money by relatives of the dead, but on occasion he has to spend his own money.

He is grateful to the public for their help, which has included two hand-drawn rickshaws and cloth for covering the dead bodies.

But he is angry when he speaks about the police who he says get 2000-3000 rupees ($40-60) for each dead body, but give little to him.

"At least show some respect for the dead by wrapping them in the traditional cloth," he says.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3105967.stm

What a way to have lived. How fortunate he must be when you consider it could be so much worse. He'll eventually become part of his own work.

MikeyChalupa · 07-30-2003, 02:30 AM

This guy sounds like a real cool guy, considering the completely shitty life he's had.

Quote:

Mohammed Habib and his family live with only a plastic sheet for shelter near the GB Pant hospital in crowded Old Delhi and survive on small handouts from the police and public.
...
His wife, Nabina, who is blind, helps him to carry the corpses.

The two met when he went to pick up the bodies of her parents who had been run over by a train.

What a pick up THAT must have been. "Hey baby, sorry about your folks and all. What a mess, good thing you can't see it with you being blind and all. Well, hows about you marry me and come live under a plastic sheet behind the hospital, help me pick up dead bodies. It doesn't pay that great but I get some nice handouts from the locals. Whaddaya say?"

-Mikey

Jesus Pimp · 07-30-2003, 05:08 AM

A real life cemetary man, too bad the corpses don't come back to life

platypus · 07-30-2003, 05:11 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tandem
Mohammed Habib and his family live with only a plastic sheet for shelter

I've been to Delhi. This guy's situation isn't unique. There are thousands of people, entire families, living under discarded plastic sheets stretched over sticks. One of the most depressing things I've ever seen.

One thing I noticed though is that they all seemed to be busy. I rarely saw an adult holding his hand out. The kids, yes. Half an hour after my arrival, a little girl not more than 5 was begging at my car's window at a stop light. Nearly tore out my heart.

The adults, however, work. Many, like this guy, just start doing something that needs to be done. Whether it's gathering corpses, picking up trash, or sweeping the street with a tree branch. Few of them receive any official payment for their efforts but instead rely exclusively on donations from others more fortunate.

My experience there was an exercise in defining the far ends of the spectrum of human existance. Such complete and utter desperation visible on the streets of Delhi and only 150 miles from one of the most majestic of man's artistic accomplishments - the Taj Mahal.

gov135 · 07-30-2003, 06:51 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by platypus
Whether it's gathering corpses, picking up trash, or sweeping the street with a tree branch. Few of them receive any official payment for their efforts but instead rely exclusively on donations from others more fortunate.

Remember how confining their caste system is. It is still used to define roles in society, whether or not it is legally recognized. Members of lower castes clear sewers and empty toilets for a living. Their children have no hope of doing anything else - they will either muck shit or be the wife of a shitmucker.

The privileged enjoy many creature comforts, while the poor will still live under a plastic sheet at the hospital, with no hope of advancing themselves. It's the opposite of the American dream. However, their culture/government/religious institutions allow this practice to continue.

07-30-2003, 05:08 AM	#3 (permalink)
Jesus Pimp The Original JizzSmacka	A real life cemetary man, too bad the corpses don't come back to life __________________ Never date anyone who doesn't make your dick hard.