At the crematorium, it is mainly the men who shoulder huge responsibility. But Purandarpur crematorium of West Bengal’s Baruipur is an exception. Here, the person incharge of the Dom is a woman. From registering the name of the dead bodies to working on the furnace, everything is done by Tumpa Das of Baruipur. If anyone gives her some extra token money after 14 hours of continuous duty, she feels humbled.
Men are also in charge of the Dom in this crematorium. But everyone wants Tumpa to work for them. She is always praised for her dedication regarding crematorium rituals. Tumpa Das’s house is near Purandarpur Jora Mandir in Kalyanpur Panchayat of Baruipur. Her father, Bapi Das was in charge of the dome of the Purandarpur crematorium.
Her father died several years ago, and the responsibility of the crematorium fell on Tumpa to support the family. Tumpa is the eldest daughter of the house having younger sister and mother at home. This crematorium has both wood furnace and electric furnaces. Baruipur West MLA Biman Banerjee inaugurated the electric furnace at the crematorium in March 2019. Since 2015, Tumpa has handled all the responsibilities of the wood burning furnace at the crematorium. Tumpa got down to work with gloves on one hand and wood in the other. She said, “When the dead bodies arrive at the crematorium, the work begins with registering the names. Then I have to do everything from putting the corpse into the furnace, running the machine, bringing the bones. Continuous duty from 6 am to 8 pm. There is no rest.”
Not only folks from Kalyanpur Panchayat area of Baruipur, but also people from surrounding Panchayat areas come to this crematorium. Even people come from Bishnupur with dead bodies come here. So it gets crowded. Tumpa added, “In the beginning, I was afraid. One by one corpses were put into the furnace all day long.”
“The love of cremation pilgrims and the desire for work have thrown everything out of my mind. Arranging square meals for the family is the only pull for her to do this,” Tumpa said. She exclaimed, “I get a monthly salary of 3,500 rupees from Kalyanpur Panchayat. It’s too less for present days to bear 3 person”.
Yamuna Devi, aged 73, is another female Dom at Manikarnika Ghat, the holiest crematorium for Hindus, who believe a cremation at Manikarnika prevents rebirth, ensuring entry into heaven. Tumpa is the follower of Yamuna Devi.
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