By T P Venu
In a perfect example of Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb, Khashif Pasha, 44 a businessman and resident of Bannerghatta Road in Bengaluru helped a distressed family complete the last rites as per Hindu tradition.
It all started with a phone call he received form M Nanjundaswami, the Inspector General of Police, Ballari Range, a close friend asking if Khashif could help. It was at 6:45 during the holy month of Ramzan and without battling an eye-lid he agreed.
The policeman wanted help cremate his friend’s aunt who succumbed to Covid. His friend was 2,000 km away and there was no way he could come due to the prevailing conditions. The deceased’s son was living with her in an apartment complex in the Rayasandra area near the Parappana Agrahara Jail.
What was appalling was none from the apartment came forward to help. Even relatives in the city refused to come and priests from the nearby temple too were unwilling said Nanjundaswami in a social media post and that was when he thought of approaching Khasif.
Khasif, at first tried approaching a few NGOs who were working in the space but all were overloaded with work and bookings full. He said, “I decided to take action and booked an ambulance. I also organised a puja at the apartment and led the ambulance to an electronic crematorium near Kudlu Gate.”
At the crematorium he ensured all the Hindu rituals were performed. Khasif has been in touch with the boy.
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