In a poignant turn of events, 44-year-old Rakhi, originally from Chhattisgarh, spent her final days at the Benedict Menni Psycho Social Rehabilitation Centre in Kadinamkulam grama panchayat, Thiruvananthapuram. Battling cancer and recovering from mental illness, her only clear wish was for her last rites to be performed according to Hindu customs. Tragically, she couldn’t recall her home or locate any relatives.
Following her peaceful passing on Friday, the compassionate Christian nuns who run the centre reached out to T. Safeer, the local panchayat member for Chittattumukku, where the facility is situated. Understanding their predicament, Mr. Safeer, a devout Muslim, graciously stepped forward to assume the role of Rakhi’s kin, ensuring her funeral was conducted with all due Hindu rituals.
A Search for Kin, Unsuccessful
“All efforts to find her living relatives proved fruitless,” Mr. Safeer recounted to The Hindu. “When someone expresses such a profound wish, it becomes our duty to fulfill it. My faith teaches me to accord the highest respect to every human life, whether they are a close relative or a stranger. Having participated in various religious ceremonies within my ward, I had some familiarity with the Hindu rites. The staff at the Kazhakuttam crematorium also provided guidance. My religion was never an obstacle; in fact, the Imam of our local Jamaath congratulated me, affirming it was the right and humane thing to do.”
A History of Compassion
This wasn’t Mr. Safeer’s first act of interfaith compassion. Just two weeks prior, he had performed Hindu funeral rites for another resident of the rehabilitation centre who had succumbed to illness. “We did manage to find her brother and daughter that time, but both were also mentally unwell and unable to undertake the responsibility. I performed the last rites just as I did for Rakhi, but without any photos or videos, it went largely unnoticed. We later scattered her ashes at Papanasam Beach,” he explained. Mr. Safeer’s selfless actions are now garnering widespread praise on social media, being lauded as a true testament to the “real” spirit of Kerala.