BEYOND THE VEIL

Death is as natural as birth. Yet we exist with an almost intrinsic aversion towards death. We try ignoring it and when faced with it through a dear one, find it hard to accept. The general tendency of ours to shut our eyes when we see a death procession passing by or speeding up our vehicles around spaces associated with death got me intrigued and that is where the idea for this project was born.

While scouting for spaces related to death I stumbled upon a little house within the premises of a crematorium. This was the case with almost every crematorium, cemetery or kabristan that I visited. The caretakers lived there to make sure they are available round the clock to cater to the people. Just like any other professional would be. Yet their stature within the society lies at the bottom of the social strata. They are subjected to neglect and contempt by most.

Why do we do that? Isn’t their job just as important as any other? Why do we extrapolate our feelings towards death as a phenomenon onto them?

This photo document is a peek into their lives. It is an attempt to capture the normalcy even after being surrounded by what most of us would never want to confront.