GEORGE TOWN – A former activist with the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) has made burying the dead of poor families a vocation.
For the past four decades, P. Murugiah has arranged more than 580 funerals, with the bodies either buried or cremated, in Penang and Kedah.
The remains are usually left unclaimed at retirement homes and hospitals due to families being unable to afford a funeral for their loved ones. Some bodies are believed to be those of foreign workers.
Murugiah steps in when a body is left unclaimed for several days.
During the movement control order, he helped arrange 20 burials.
The Penang Hindu Association deputy president, often called a “legend” for his numerous acts of charity, said he started conducting such burials in 1984 with help from friends.
“My friends and I have, since 1984, made funeral arrangements for more than 580 bodies left unclaimed or whose next of kin can’t be traced. Some were disowned by their families.
“Since 2000, we’ve handled up to 10 bodies a month, with each burial or cremation now costing between RM600 and RM800. It only cost about RM150 for a coffin and transport when we started in the 1980s.
“In the early days, I passed the hat around to collect funds from my association and friends to cover the funeral expenses. There were instances where I came up with my own money because the collection was small.”
He said he feels privileged to carry out social work, adding that he was inspired by the late guru Swami Shantanand Saraswathi.
He is indebted to the Penang Hindu Endowment Board, which has subsidised his efforts over the last two years.
The board charges Murugiah RM500 for each cremation.
He said he was moved by former CAP president S.M. Mohamed Idris, who told him about unclaimed bodies at Penang Hospital.
“The late Idris told me to look for a non-governmental organisation that could help with the unclaimed bodies, and this was how I came into the picture.” – The Vibes, September 21, 2020
