‘Serving the lifeless also needs empathy’

SHF, serves as a platform in bridging the gap between the unknown and unclaimed dead bodies and their agonized families. The team comprises of eight staff members and 100 plus volunteers. In the past 7 years, a total of 2570 bodies from the Gandhi hospital and 2950 from the Osmania general hospital have been adopted and cremated by them. The agency has till date cremated around 12000 bodies and traced more than 4000 missing cases

Bhagyashree Tarke

Sitting in a small cabin, with a computer and a pile of files and forms on the table a dusky short gentleman politely addresses a couple of people who came in with photographs of their missing beloveds and left the place with an assurance and a strong hope of finding them back

It is ironical but true. For over 17 years K Rajeshwar Rao of Satya Harishchandra Foundation located at Afzalgunj has been rendering unmatched yeomanly services by finding the missing people. But the good deeds do not end, he and the foundation have also been disposing adopted dead bodies. Yet he is not sure when will he turn one, as he is under a constant death threat issued by illegal organ traders. No wonder Rao says in a resigned tone “I treat every day as my last day, and do what I want”.

Back in the day, while he was worked as a lab technician at Osmania General Hospital, he stumbled over numerous dead bodies and discovered that they were being sold illegally to medical colleges at exorbitant rates. He also noticed couple of doctors ill-treating the families of the deceased by keeping back the original bodies and replacing them with the rotten used ones. It made the aggrieved helpless and forcing them to go back empty handed. Soon after the heart rending experience Rao had, he decided to quit the job and set up an organisation that would rescue the victims who fall prey of the nexus between doctors and goons. He decided to help the lifeless. In 1994, he started the organisation with his brothers. The family had to fight and overcome many difficulties as the authorities of the hospitals, society and the government stood in their way. But Rao was determined and came up with an idea of adopting the dead bodies legitimately.

SHF, now traces unknown dead bodies on the basis of available physical features and biological phenomena. It serves as a platform in bridging the gap between the unknown and orphan dead bodies and their agonized families. The team comprises of eight staff members and 100 plus volunteers. In the past seven years, a total of 2570 bodies from the Gandhi hospital and 2950 from the Osmania general hospital have been adopted and cremated by them. The agency has till date cremated around 12000 bodies and traced more than 4000 missing cases.

SHF cremates around 8-10 bodies each day in the out skirts of the city as the authorities of the graveyards within the city raise objections against the interment of the rotten, reeking, and adopted bodies. The government pays 700 rupees per body for the funeral expenses and the rest is borne by the organisation and the donors.

The brave hearted man, Rao lives in a small house in old city and is working for a non-profit organisation and serving the lifeless, facing coercion from the mafias to give up his work. He also feels bad about the fact that people have developed commercial mentality and firmly believes that everyone deserves to be cremated. He laments about the government not recognising and not caring for genuine efforts that are being made for this noble cause. “The government is only concerned about vote banks,” he grieves

“I work for the deceased and if the deceased could vote, I would have become a leader or an MLA by now. Stark contrary to the way I am being treated now. I expect from the society is to cooperate, sympathise and empathise with the aggrieved”, says Rao, in a dejected tone.