The Final Farewell-Minakshi Dewan

Book: The Final Farewell
Author: Minakshi Dewan
Publisher: HarperCollins India

I was provided a media copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Do you think that our understanding of the Last Rites and Rituals is limited?

What are the beliefs associated with death in India? How do final rites and rituals reveal the misogyny and caste-based discrimination that plague the country? Who are the people involved in managing the deceased and laying them to rest? What are the economic and environmental costs of saying that final goodbye? Powerful and enlightening, The Final Farewell offers a glimpse into a world that is misunderstood and feared. With compassion and sensitivity, Minakshi Dewan explores the many ways in which some of the country's major faiths treat the dead: this includes avoidance of human remains, believed by some to be spiritual pollutants; the worship of bodies at the pyre; professional mourners hired to wail loudly for the dead; and musicians devoted to celebrating life at funerals. Based on thorough research, keen observation, personal interviews, The Final Farewell is a reminder to honour those who came before, and to work towards a better world to leave behind.

Death usually has negative connotations in our minds, and not a lot is known about the last rites and rituals of the various faiths that exist today. Most of what we know has been passed through families or seen on screen. A country where people of all faiths co-exist, this context becomes even more important. Minakshi’s book is a wonderful attempt to bring together the understanding of how death is treated across religious and social lines. While we see death as a part of life, there are various aspects attached to it which go unnoticed and unheard, especially the people who are a part of the entire process. The book starts off with a brief about how each religion looks at death, what the scriptures say and the concept of why the last rites and rituals are important. Minakshi then moves on to the gender and social aspect of funerals, and how the gender and caste of a person impact their role in the entire process. She also explores the financial aspect of death including the costs as well as the industry that has started to grow around it. The author also explores the contemporary aspect of funerals, specially during the pandemic, and how it became a choice between adapting to the times versus the age-old practices and how it impacted the people in the chain-the mortuary workers, the people in the crematoriums, burial grounds and the Dakhmas.

What I really liked about the book was it brevity, yet the information in the book is enough to pique your interest and make you research more about the topics Minakshi explores. The concepts have been broken down into small chapters that focus on a specific topic which help you focus and keep you attention to what she is conveying. Since death and funeral is a topic that is sensitive, I liked that Minakshi has not left out emotions while writing and you feel the emotions she felt while researching about the book. Another good aspect of the book is that it is not a treatise on how things are done, and neither it is a book that just takes the processes from the scriptures and reproduces it. It is a methodically written book that explores multiple aspects of death and the author has used a socio-economic lens to present the current status of this industry from a third-person perspective. She not only presents what the scriptures say, but also the environmental aspect of the customs and how people have come up with unique ideas to balance the age-old customs with minimal impact to the environment. Another thing that I liked in the book was that Minakshi has included the funerals during the Covid-19 period as a part that explores how the customs had to be modified keeping in mind the regulations, and how we saw citizens rising to the challenge by volunteering and providing respect to the dead. The chapter on Varanasi was one that I really liked because there were aspects that I had no idea, and especially the one on the Holi was an eye opener. While I knew a bit about Rudaalis, the other gendered aspects of funerals and the performative aspects were something that I discovered through this book.

This is a book that one should read not because it talks about death and funerals, but because it is a birds eye view on an integral part of life that people usually ignore until it comes calling. It will not just help you understand death, but some aspects of human life and psychology as well. The book scores a 4.88/5 for me.

Get a copy of the book on Amazon India or your nearest bookstore!