Clean and cheap method

The pall bearers at Doongerwadi have the world’s worst job. The present system of dakhmenashini is too cruel where they have to daily see partly consumed, semi-dried dead bodies in the dakhmas, possibly driving some of them to alcoholism or worse.
Dakhmas exist in Bombay, Poona, Bangalore, Calcutta and several towns/cities in western India. Elsewhere in India where there are no dakhmas, burial and cremation are allowed, and family members often lovingly help with disposal of their dead. Of course, all disposal methods including burial and cremation have their plus and minus points. Burial at Doongerwadi would be the cleanest and cheapest as the land already belongs to us and is sufficient for the small community now left.
Even some of the technically very advanced methods like Promession, which includes freeze-drying with liquid nitrogen at very low temperatures followed by ultrasonic vibration to convert the body into compost (all capital costing about eight crore rupees upfront and Rs 25,000 per body, according to Homi Khusrokhan who has studied it), also have their plus and minus points. Promession might be expensive for us and we might have difficulty in maintaining the system.
Isn’t it time we found a better way of using our land at Doongerwadi and our human resources like the pall bearers? The "perfect” method has yet to be developed which will be acceptable from an environmental and ecological standpoint, need little or no land for disposal, need no fuel, and cost practically nothing to implement! The vultures satisfied most of these conditions. But we don’t have vultures anymore.
If we feel that some further field study is needed to achieve a better solution we must formulate a protocol for the study in advance. This protocol must be pre-approved by the Bombay Parsi Punchayet trustees and the council of vada dasturs before work can begin. No rumblings later. If we can’t agree on anything, open up Doongerwadi as a new aramgah. It is already shown in municipal maps as the Parsi Burial Ground. SOLI ARCEIVALA
solijaj@hotmail.com