Zindagi with Richa

SELFLESS SERVICE Not all can have their last journey with dignity — some for lack of family members, relatives and loved ones, especially those who succumbed to the coronavirus, and some too poor to afford a decent funeral. While we all are mostly indifferent and numb to these situations, some exemplify a very different, baffling aspect of human response, of kindness, compassion, to the plight of others. In the fifth episode of Sleepwell Foundation Presents Zindagi with Richa—Season 5, it’s the real life story of Jitender Singh Shunty, former MLA from Delhi and Founder of Bhagat Singh Sewa Dal, who offers this selfless service to those deprived of the last ritual. Moved terribly by an incident where he came in contact with a poor found stealing unburned woods from a pyre to cremate his deceased child’s body, Mr. Shunty, a wealthy businessman gave up everything and plunged into this sewa. Over a period of 25 years, he has performed innumerable funerals for the deprived. During the current crisis when social distancing norms and misinformation kept relatives away from the last rites of their loved ones, Mr. Shunty along with his Shaheed Bhagat Singh Sewa Dal, came forward to give the deceased a dignified send-off. In recognition of his selfless and strenuous service to the society, he was conferred upon with the Padma Shri, the highest civilian award of the country, this Republic Day on 26-Jan 2021. Right to dignity should not only available to a living man but also to his body after his death, it is in such selfless actions of people like Jitender Singh Shunty, these hallowed words find a right meaning. A right meaning for Emotional Wellness.
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