Here, cow dung is used for cremation

Trimulgherry: Following the Vedic custom and taking into account the environment aspect, SwargVatika has come up with a unique eco-friendly technique of using Gokashta (Lakadi made from Gomay-Gobar (cow dung) of desi-breed cow or bull), instead of wood, for cremation. The method is not only cost effective, but also pollution free. SwargVatika team members launched the broacher here on Friday.

As per the Hindu culture, using cow dung for cremation is considered auspicious. With the help of machines, cow dung is converted into logs. Cremation using cow dung is scientific too. Cremating a body requires about 300 to 350 kg of wood, equivalent to wood from two trees, and whereas only 200 kg of dried cow dung is enough for the same purpose. By spending Rs 2,000 on wood to cremate the body, it is not polluting the environment.

Surender Pal Singh, the president of SwargVatika, said, "We are not promoting our cremation ground. It is only to create awareness that bodies can be cremated using sacred material. We started the method just last month."

In fact, the ash (fully burnt) is scientifically very useful and contains 45% of oxygen and immersing it in rivers enriches it. The Gokast dust is now being used as manure for the plants in SwargVatika, said Surender Pal Singh.

"Our idea is to have a facility serving as an abode of peace and tranquility unlike what we usually encounter," said DN Gauri, chairman of SwargVatika Trust, the man behind the project. The project is said to have cost over Rs 2.5 crore.

"Over the last four years, I had been liaising with the authorities and then Collector Navin Mittal, Government of Telangana, for delineating the land. He also roped in top industrialists, doctors and eminent citizens to contribute towards the project spread across 13,000 square meters. "We are running the crematorium on a secular basis, and it is open to all castes and communities at a nominal cost. The poor will get free services here," said Gauri.

The other dignitaries who were present at conference included Neni Chand, trustee of Shiv Mandir Goshala, and SwargVatika member, Sirish, a committee member, Ranjan Sood, general secretary, Surender Pal Singh, SwargVatika Trust chairman, Ramesh Chand Malani, treasurer, and Sanjay Duggar, vice-president of SwargVatika.