Sheila Dikshit, Warrior For Environment In Death And Life     

New Delhi: Funerals are a grand affair as much as they are associated with grief and outpouring of love for the departed individual. If the deceased in question is a high profile politician or a film star, the paraphernalia used in the funeral also becomes matter of discussion. It has always been about opulence and extravagance in most such cases. But former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit chose to be different and left a heartwarming message for anyone concerned about the environment.

Bucking the trend, Dikshit's mortal remains were consigned to flames using CNG (compressed natural gas) method setting aside wood and other material that have debilitating effects on environment. Only Rs 500 was spent on her funeral pyre, while in the conventional way the cost ran into few thousands of rupees if not more. In CNG method, the amount of time taken to burn the body is just an hour, but it takes about 10 to 12 hours in the traditional way using wood.

It was Dikshit's wish to be cremated in an environment-friendly way. This is because of her pioneering work for environment she had taken up as the chief minister by introducing CNG buses and several other efforts to enhance the air quality of the national capital. She chose to serve as an example in her death for the cause she had long championed.

However, not everybody welcomed the decision to use CNG method to cremate her body as they viewed it is against the Hindu tradition.

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