Australia’s first Hindu funeral hall in Melb

Afuneral is a ritual that not only confirms the reality and finality of death, but is also an affirmation of religious faith. In Australia, despite its mix of diverse cultures, Hindu funeral services have been mostly held in chapels. However, many funeral services and directors are sensitive to cultural and religious beliefs and are willing to give maximum assistance to grieving families. In response to the rapidly growing Hindu community in Australia, an information session was held recently to flag the opening of a Hindu Funeral Hall, the first of its kind in Australia, at Le Pines Funeral Services in Springvale Road, Glen Waverley. The project was initiated by Dr Jayant Bapat, an academic and Hindu priest who received the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the Hindu community of Australia and to education in 2011.

A funeral service is sacred to Hindus because it represents the completion of the final stage in one’s life. In Hinduism, death is viewed as a natural aspect of life, and there are numerous epic tales, scriptures and Vedic writings that describe the reason for death’s existence, the rituals that should be performed surrounding it, and the many possible destinations of the soul after departure from its earthly existence. According to Dr Bapat who has conducted numerous funeral services in Australia in the last 30 years, Hindus, especially from the older generation, prefer to have their funerals in a Hindu ambience instead of a Christian chapel. When Dr. Bapat saw the Asian (Buddhist) Funeral Hall at Le Pines, he approached the Le Pines management and suggested the idea of having a similar facility for Hindu funerals. They agreed, and offered him support in setting up the hall for Hindu services.

Dr Bapat described the process of how the Hindu ambience was created. “Large picture frames of the shlokas from the second chapter of the Bhagvad Geeta, Krishna advising Arjuna on the battlefield etc. were made in Nagpur and flown to Melbourne,” he said. He praised Makarand Bhagwat, an IT professional who also acts as a Hindu priest, and Abhijit Bhide, an engineer from the Marathi community for their efforts in volunteering and getting financial help from the Maharashtra Mandal and Vishva Hindu Parishad for this cause.

Many people including dignitaries attended the information session that was held recently at Le Pines Funeral Services, Glen Waverley. Mr Rakesh Kawra, Indian Consul for Cultural and Community Relations opened the information session by cutting the ribbon and lighting a candle in front of the statues of Sri Krishna and Sri Rama. Mr Kawra then spoke about the provisions made by the Government of India for overseas Indians who are in need of financial and other help in the event of a death in their family. Dr Jayant Bapat spoke about the Hindu belief in death as the final samskara. According to him, death being the last of the 16th samskaras, was the most important one.