Muslim man performs final rites of abandoned Chhattisgarh woman at nuns' request in TVM

Thiruvananthapuram: A panchayat ward member in Thiruvananthapuram, T Safeer, will travel to Papanasam beach, Varkala, on Tuesday carrying the ashes of a woman he had never known before. He will immerse her ashes in the sea, as prayerfully as he did her final rites at Santhitheeram three days ago.

The woman, Rakhi, was 44 years old and a native of Chhattisgarh. She had been living at the Benedict Menni Psycho-Social Rehabilitation Centre in Menamkulam, Thiruvananthapuram, after being referred from the Kuthiravattam Government Mental Health Centre. Abandoned and diagnosed with stage four breast and liver cancer, Rakhi also battled mental health issues. On September 12, Rakhi’s health worsened, and she was rushed to the Puthenthope Community Health Centre. Doctors declared her dead soon after.

Rakhi had requested that the nuns in the convent bury her according to the Hindu ritual. They turned to Safeer for help. He did not think twice and carried out the rituals as per Rakhi's wish. “For those who have no one to perform the last rites, we have to step in,” Safeer said.

This was not the first time Safeer had taken such a step. “This is the fourth time I have carried out funeral rituals; three of them were according to Hindu traditions. For me, humanity is more important than religion. I do this as a Malayali and as a human being," he said.

A few weeks earlier, he had performed the last rites of Sudakshina, a 65-year-old woman from Nagaroor, who had also been an inmate at Benedict Menni for more than four years. She, too, had no family to care for her. “After her passing, I performed the rites with my friend Mohanan. Each time I do this with the same care and love as I did for my parents,” he said.

Safeer, a believer in Islam, has earned praise for his actions from the community. The local Imam also appreciated his gesture, calling it an act of true humanity. Safeer, who lives with his wife and three sons, said he takes his children along when visiting the sick and bedridden. “They must also grow into kind and compassionate humans. That is why I take them with me,” he said. He also runs a volunteer group in his ward, who tends to the need of bed-ridden patients.