Here’s a story of a woman performing the last rites of her husband breaking the social stereotype.
Amiyabala Parida, a Lecturer, who resides in an apartment at Patrapada in Bhubaneswar, recently lit her husband’s funeral pyre holding a photograph of her dead son in one hand at a crematorium.
Amiyabala and her husband Chandi Prasad Bagh had lost their only son Girija Prasad in a road mishap a year ago. Chandi Prasad, who was a former Indian Navy official, was paralysed for over seven years following a massive brain stroke. Amiyabala dedicated her life to the service of her bedridden husband. Even after death of her son, she was not broken. She finally lost her husband on May 3.
Then, who was to perform Chandi Prasad’s last rites as per Hindu tradition? Amiyabala came forward to do it saying that she was everything to her husband.
Now, in memory of her husband and son, Amiyabala has set up two charitable trusts in their names to contribute to various social services. The trust in her son’s name is helping road safety awareness programmes.