Sustainable disposal of the dead: A study of Nigambodh Ghat in Delhi

The link between values and technologies is well established. The concept of sustainability here includes the desire to dispose of the dead in an easy, eco-friendly manner. Many authors have discussed sustainability and its relation to the various methods of disposal of the dead. However, it may be pertinent to explore if all stakeholders accept sustainability as their prime concern, and what explains their non-acceptance, if any, despite this value being an inherent part of several government policies and schemes in the last few decades. Nigambodh Ghat is one of the oldest, largest, and busiest cremation grounds in Delhi. Ethnographic insights have been discussed to understand the nuances and complexities of the interaction between sustainability and cremation technologies across the strata of users at this site. Although new cremation technologies are incompatible with established funeral customs, there is a growing preference for cheaper, simpler, and less ritualized methods, for instance, Mokshda, electric and CNG crematorium. The coexistence of various competing cremation technologies at Nigambodh Ghat highlights the increasing importance of sustainability.