MOURN FOR ME
Navaraj Badal, 24, is a mourner by profession. For the past 9 years, he has been
performing the ‘Kriyaputri’ rituals on behalf of the bereaved. According to Hindu
customs, mourning paves way for the dead to transcend to the spiritual realm.
The mourner takes one self-prepared meal a day, abstains from salt, and is forbidden
from touching anyone during the 13-day ritual. Hiring surrogate mourners for hefty fees
is an increasing trend for bereaved families without offspring or who cannot commit
themselves to the rituals. Even though the profession pays well, the job has its bouts of
social rejection.
“It was difficult to find a bride for me because of what I do for a living,” said Badal,
“I don’t even know what to write under the ‘occupation’ field when filling up
official forms.”
The rituals of mourning are transferable but is grief?
On a daily newspaper, 'The Kathmandu Post'-
