Hindu Dead burn 50 million trees a year!!

We Hindus cremate our dead.  It is ecologically useful.. presumably.. and psychologically better.. but I could never think of the environmental ramifications that it could create?  Every year 8.5 million Hindus (and Sikhs, I presume) die in India.  That makes 50 million trees being cut in India to cater for our dead!!

50 million trees die WITH our dead!

It was ok when the total number of dead in the conuntry were a few thousands, but when the score runs in millions.. we need a better way!  Every average dead takes 500 kgs of wood and 6 hours of burning to completely turn into ash … and that is a LOT of ash … Half a million tonnes of ash!   …. And 8 million tonnes of CO2!

Mokshda Paryavaran Evam Van Suraksha Samiti (Mokshda) is an NGO that is working to reduce this toll on our environment.. despite heavy opposition from the purists and pundits.. but they are trying nevertheless!  They have come up with a new design of the pyre such that a body burns in 2 hours and with 100 kg of wood only!  But of course the electric crematoriums are the best in terms of environment.. however not to the liking of the purist and also stop us from following our rites… but is it more important that the son breaks the skull of his father.. or the father gives his son’s generation a chance to live at all!!

Isnt it time that we also put this in the will?  Just as we should donate our organs.. we should make sure we are burnt in an electric crematorium so that the ill-effects to the environment are reduced too!!?

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