H

indus are urging for crematoria in the United Kingdom (UK) to adapt to the needs of the growing Hindu community.Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that in view of increasing diversity in UK populations, crematoria should be sensitive and responsive to the needs of all mourning families, including Hindus, at the difficult hour of their lives.Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, urged James Brokenshire and Melanie Dawes; Secretary of State and Permanent Secretary respectively in the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government; to seriously look into the structure of crematoria facilities in the country so that the religious minorities also felt included.Rajan Zed suggested that capacity of the crematoria needed to be increased to accommodate traditionally larger numbers of mourners at Hindu funerals; as existing crematoria halls were mostly small, thus many times forcing the mourners outside without cover in all weather.Zed pointed out that crematoria should provide adequate training to their staff in various (including Hindu) faith traditions and rituals around funeral services so that they were more understanding and aware and respectful of cultural sensitivities.More crematoria should be built so that bereaved families should not have to travel long distances or wait for days to cremate their loved ones. Cost of crematorium services also needed to be lowered and funeral service slots should be longer to adequately cover the last rites, prayers and other rituals; Rajan Zed noted.Zed was of the view that crematoria should display relevant iconography to go with Hindu funerals and be able to provide Hindu prayer books and relevant devotional music.As many Hindus would desire the cremation using open funeral pyres instead of cremators, crematoria should seriously consider offering this provision on their campuses by adding such structure, Rajan Zed stated.Zed also urged the creation of dedicated areas for scattering cremated remains in various rivers and lakes of UK; which included installing a platform, raising an open-roofed structure like gazebo and building a link road; so that grieving families and friends could gather and perform the last rituals properly, respectfully and peacefully. It was important for grieving Hindu families to scatter the cremated remains of their loved ones on the body of water, Zed added.