'Jinka Koi Nahin Unka Pali Sardar Hai': The Uttar Pradesh Man Who Grants Forgotten Souls Their Final Farewell

By Vinit Kumar Gupta

Lakhimpur Kheri: In the eerie silence of Ramghat crematorium, where smoke emanating from the pyres envelops the surroundings, Jaspal Singh Pali, bows to collect the ashes of one body into a neat bundle, ties it in white cloth, and hangs it on a rusty hook in a room close by. Not one or two, nearly 400 such bundles hang from various hooks, unclaimed, unseen, and waiting for the ‘moksha’ their families never came to grant.

Pali, a social worker, for his work to give dignity to the dead, has come to be known as the last guardian of the forgotten. For over a decade, he has performed the final rites of those who are never remembered or claimed by anyone. These people neither have an identity nor kin to perform the last rites, let alone do the immersion of ashes in Ganga.

“Every human being needs to be given a final adieu with dignity. A respectful farewell is the least we can do and that is what I do,” says Pali.

The founder of a non-profit Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nishkam Seva Samiti in 2011, Pali has so far conducted the last rites of more than 3,000 unclaimed bodies. While some are intentionally left behind by their own family, there are many who remain unidentified. “We pick some from hospital morgues, and there are others who are so poor that they cannot afford the funeral rites. “Unke liye main parivaar ban jaata hoon (I become their families),” he says.

Every year during ‘Pitru Paksha’, (A 16-day Hindu period dedicated to honouring ancestors (Pitrs) by offering Shraddha (food offerings) and Tarpan (water offerings) to ensure their peace, liberation from the cycle of rebirth, and blessings for the living), Pali shoulders the responsibility for those who have none to call their own.

With his team members, he picks up about 70-80 bundles of ashes stored at the crematorium and carries them to Farrukhabad where at the Ganga ghats, he performs the immersion rituals with due honours. “This is not just a ritual. We do it as our duty and the right of the dead,” he explains.

Even the priests at Ramghat acknowledge the work Pali does. Shiv Prakash, who has seen Pali do the work for years, says, “In the last 30 years, I have never seen anyone like Pali who has dedicated himself to this noble work. The ashes which have been hanging here, need to be immersed in the Ganga for final salvation. And since Pali does that, I think his service will remain incomparable for ages to come,” he adds.

Locals say “Jinka koi nahin, unka Pali Sardar hai, (Those who do not have anyone, have Pali Sardar)” - a statement that has become almost synonymous with his name.

Pali’s work does not stay limited to the cremation ground. His NGO organises blood donation camps, provides water for cattle during summer months and helps anyone in need.

“I would request others who have not been able to perform the immersion ritual of the ashes of their near and dear ones, to come to us and handover the ashes. We will perform the ritual as per Hindu traditions,” Pali had stated a day before leaving for the Ganga Ghats.

Ask him what keeps him going in this work which is nothing short of an emotional challenge, Pali folds his hands and says, “If God has chosen me to do this work, I feel I am blessed because I am just carrying forward His wish. There can be nothing greater than being human and humanity is the only religion we should all follow.”

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