Muslim Man Lights Funeral Pyre Of A Hindu In Pune, Sets Example Of Communal Harmony, Love
The funeral pyre of a 70-year-old Hindu man, who did not have any relatives barring his sister, was lit by Javed Khan.
Published : March 28, 2025 at 8:02 PM IST
Pune: Amid recent incidents of violence over Hindu group's call for removal of Aurangzeb's tomb in Maharashtra, here's a man from Pune, who has set an example of communal harmony and brotherhood through his humble act.
Javed Khan, a social activist, helped a hapless Hindu woman perform the last rites of her deceased brother. A video of the incident that went viral on social media has drawn praise for the Muslim man.
Sudhir Kinkle (70), who lived with his sister Jayshree Kinkle in Rasta Peth area of Pune, passed away on Wednesday. The death of her brother left Jayshree grief-stricken and she became worried about performing the last rites because the siblings did not have any relatives. The question that haunted Jayshree the most was who will light the pyre of her brother, a Hindu cremation tradition that is usually performed by the eldest son or a close male relative. It is believed that the tradition symbolises the soul's release and journey to the afterlife.
Hearing about Sudhir's death, Khan, rushed to console the grieving sister. He did not stop at only consoling her but took part in one of the most important traditions of Hindu cremation by lighting Sudhir's pyre.
Talking to ETV Bharat, Khan said, "I got a call from my friend Michael Sathe, who told me about Sudhir's death and that Jayashree has no relatives. He asked me whether I would be willing to perform the deceased's last rites."
Hearing this, Khan straightaway went to Sassoon Hospital and met Jayshree. "I told Jayashree Tai (aunt) that we will perform the last rites together. According to their custom, last rites are not performed at night so with tears rolling down her cheeks, she requested me to do rituals the next morning. I could not bear to see her crying. The month of Ramadan is on but I thought that maybe I have been chosen to do this work. Therefore, putting caste and religion aside, I woke up early in the morning and performed the last rites of Sudhir uncle," Khan said.
