Thousands of people are going through a terrible time of grief - losing their loved ones to COVID-19. The need to follow unfamiliar protocols during the funeral just adds to that burden and that is where the team of 'Mercy Angels' - a volunteer group in Bengaluru which helps in arranging funerals for the Covid victims of all communities - steps in.
Anne Morris has been a volunteer with the group since the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.
"I did 120 burials then. I lost count of the number of cremations. I counted till 600, then I lost count," she said.
Ms Anne, speaking to NDTV at the Indian Christian Cemetery in Bengaluru, said, "The reason I started helping these people is because I could see their despair and their helplessness. What the families of those who died of Covid were facing. The agony of losing a loved one is one thing but getting these bodies out of the hospital, can they be buried, how do we go about that - that was a big question mark for most of the families. I decided we have to do something to help such people. Because many of the people did not have information about the funeral protocol."
The Mercy Angels team helps the families to get the bodies of their loved ones released from the hospitals and move them to the respective burial grounds, following the completion of all the Covid protocols. The team also helps in making arrangements for coffins and digging graves.
"We complete the last rites in a very dignified manner. Pastors and priests come and pray and perform the last rites," said Ms Anne, who also works at an animal rescue centre.
18-year-old Johan Joe is another volunteer with the Mercy Angels.
"I feel bad for the families who lost their loved ones. Especially, due to Covid because half the time they can't even see the bodies," he said.
Deep in their grief, the families can still feel the touch of mercy with the help of this group.
Roger had come to bury his father and was in tears. He said, "The team did a very good job. I miss my dad..."
His wife Suma thanked the Angels team for helping them in such a situation.
There are many ways to reach out to another human being - even in this socially- distanced time and the Mercy Angels team is showing us how.
Vincent Rajkumar, the secretary of the Indian Christian Cemetery told NDTV that they have been using the services of the volunteers to coordinate the work of burials to cope with the piling bodies of Covid patients amid the deadly second wave of the pandemic.
"Every day we have a minimum of 12 to 15 burials of Covid patients, but we don't have proper places there at the moment as the number is too much. So, we are using the services of volunteers, like Mercy Angels. Digging is taking a long time. Normally we bury at 6 feet, now we have to dig 10 feet, so it is an enormous task," he said.
Karnataka reported another biggest single day spike of 23,558 new COVID-19 cases and 116 related fatalities on Wednesday, taking the overall caseload to 12.22 lakh and the total fatalities to 13,762. Bengaluru Urban alone accounted for 13,640 of the total infections.
The state had previously reported its biggest single day spike of 21,794 cases on Tuesday.
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