• ISBN13: 9789356994782
• Binding: Paperback
• Subject: Religion and Philosophy
• Publisher: Harper Collins
• Publisher Imprint: Harper Col
• Publication Date: January 1, 2023
• Pages: 312
• Original Price: INR 499.0
• Language: English
• Edition: N/A
• Item Weight: 270 grams
• BISAC Subject(s): Popular Culture

What are the beliefs associated with death in India? How do final rites and rituals reveal the misogyny and caste-based discrimination that plague the country? Who are the people involved in managing the deceased and laying them to rest? What are the economic and environmental costs of saying that final goodbye? Powerful and enlightening, The Final Farewell offers a glimpse into a world that is misunderstood and feared.With compassion and sensitivity, Minakshi Dewan explores the many ways in which some of the country's major faiths treat the dead: this includes avoidance of human remains, believed by some to be spiritual pollutants; the worship of bodies at the pyre; professional mourners hired to wail loudly for the dead; and musicians devoted to celebrating life at funerals.

Dewan, Minakshi: - Dr Minakshi Dewan is a researcher and writer based in New Delhi. She has a PhD degree in Social Medicine and Community Health. She has also been published in Indian publications like Hindu, Deccan Herald, and The Telegraph.