Varanasi - Facing death without fear | DW Documentary

Varanasi India's holiest city millions of Hindus believe whoever dies here will be saved for us death is a celebration here I meet people who make a living from [Music] dying I dreamed of studying and leading a better life not having to do this job in vary I'm pushed to my [Music] limits but I also meet people with Incredible strength I'm never really [Music] afraid and I learned That Dying doesn't have to be a terrible thing one should make peace with [Music] [Music] death a few years ago I lost my my mother it took me quite some time to process her death I was often extremely sad it's said that here in this Hospice in Varanasi death is approached very differently it's known as mukti ban House of salvation [Music] khant dub is a priest here at mukti ban he begins his rituals early in the morning usually the priests would carry them out in private an exception has been made for me to be present while he applies holy Ash to a stone through the process the stone becomes the symbol of a Hindu [Music] God the people who come to us are seeking salvation our guests believe that if they die in veranesi they can escape the cycle of Eternal rebirth we accompany them by playing songs giving them Basel and water from the Ganges can you explain to me again the main rules of M ban and why you have these rules is the people who come to us have 15 days to die only those seeking salvation should come here no one should stay here for free accommodation or for months the only aim here is [Music] salvation 15 days to die to me that sounds almost stressful like having a clock ticking for your final breaths but devout Hindus don't seem bothered by [Music] it are all 10 rooms full sometimes yes of course sometimes all the rooms are occupied in September or October all the rooms were really full [Music] so this is the room yes exactly this is it we have two beds one for the person seeking salvation and one for the person accompanying them sometimes more family members come then we lay out mattresses on the floor the room only costs 20 cents a night why is it so cheap [Music] people basically stay here for free we only charge 20 cents so that not too much electricity is used the low amount is also to remind them they shouldn't stay here with those indefinitely the room is really just meant for moving into salvation [Music] to me it seems rather sparse almost [Music] sterile and yet for many it's the best thing to die right here in a completely unfamiliar environment without any [Music] Comforts here I'll meet another person whose final wish is to die in Varanasi it's an encounter that will touch me [Music] deeply for devout Hindus Varanasi is a very special City it's here that one of their principal deities Shiva is set to reside India's longest river also flows through here the Ganges for many Hindus it's the physical manifestation of the Goddess ganga it's believed that bathing in the Ganges can help wash away all sins illnesses too are said to be cured with just one sip of the holy [Music] water hi guys rambali also believes in the power of the river for over 50 years he's been rowing on the Ganges hello how are you very well what's your name my name is Ram Bali I'm Oliver Ram is a god Bali stands for monkey god monkey Ram is an especially powerful God rambali is 73 years old he spent his whole life in Varanasi he tells me that he owes all his energy and health to the Ganges do you sometimes drink the water as well yes of course yes take now even now this now he's drinking the water is the water this water G's water holy water holy water holy water holy water Studies have shown how polluted the Ganges can be in varanas the water is so toxic that fish can barely survive here though the science seems to play a less important role than [Music] Faith a person must have bathed in the Ganges at least three times like the children once after birth coming first take the B second time the second time after the wedding and the third time after death the death is ever present on the Ganges sometimes even with corpses floating in the water things like that don't bother me at all I just keep rowing it's just a body the soul has long since left it after we die all that's left is a lifeless body a surprisingly sober thought for me I find it hard to separate the body from the essence of the deceased I visit the place where most bodies are cremated in Varanasi the manikan [Music] kot the smoke the smell and what I sea overwhelms [Music] me death is visible everywhere there's no attempt to hide the burning bodies organs or chartred limbs [Music] for this man it's all part of everyday life cremating corpses is patosi Cho hari's [Music] job I'm 33 years old now I first came here aged 13 and I burned maybe four or five corpses a year later it became more I washed the dead in the ganes it looked very different here back then I basically work all the time if I don't do the job who will we take care of everything no one would otherwise did that it must be [Music] tough patosi is a member of the domcast one of the lowest in Indian Society he earns about 2 and A2 Euros for a fire it takes about 3 hours to burn a body there for us it's all routine so it's normal for you yes I'm used to it but we still treat the dead as human beings we even talk to [Music] them the dead patosi explains to me ought to be buried with dignity during breaks he gets into the Ganges where the ashes of the deceased are scattered here he looks for valuables sometimes he gets lucky as he has now finding a [Applause] chain in the murky polluted water he can barely see where he is stepping I could cut myself in this glass here best to throw it [Music] away it's hard for me to comprehend the conditions patch cozy has to work under and I have immense respect for what he does I wonder if he would prefer another job of course I would like to follow another profession but the work here means a lot to me if God gave me the opportunity of a new job I would take it otherwise I'll stay here patosi has three children it's his wish for them not to have to one day work here at the manikan [Music] kagat I'll meet him again in a few days then he'll tell me his plans to create a better future for them at 6:00 a.m. I receive a message from the hospice they want me to come as quickly as possible so far m one has been empty we just received a call from the owner saying that a person arrived last night they want to die right here in they've asked if we want to come and talk to the family so we're on our way there [Music] now I have great respect for the chance to meet a dying person and their family some 20 family members are taking care of the elderly man I'm suddenly uncertain if we should even be here we are doing a movie about uh death in Varanasi um is it okay if we talk to you if we like look how you deal with the whole situation is that okay for you no problem at all we're happy to share with people who maybe don't know much about our religion and show them how we approach this difficult [Music] situation I learned that the sick man is his father-in-law his name is shria tiar he's 82 years old old and can only breathe with the help of a [Music] ventilator MTI he can't see anymore everything is dark this person BL it's hard for us he is really in a critical condition family but are you happy that you're here in varanas here very happy very very happy his Blessing is always with us thank you for talking to us in this difficult time oh you came to us that is really kind of you thank you so much [Music] [Music] so far this has been for me the most extreme situation we have filmed [Music] these a famili to film The this family naturally concerned for a family member who's about to die has nonetheless welcomed us into their Circle and wants to show us how their culture works how they deal with death [Music] I asked one of his sons satendra tar why it was important enough for the whole family to travel to [Music] Varanasi you when my father dies I want him to die happy I want all of the family to be there until now he's been stuck in the Eternal cycle of rebirth by dying here in veran he should finally break that [Music] cycle when my mother was about to die I felt very very sad I feel like you people are sad but also happy at the same time is that right yes death is a celebration for us it's one of the most important rituals like birth and marriage we celebrate death you leave so much behind so much pain in Hinduism we talk about there being 8.4 million different life forms to be born as a human is to be blessed by God only as a human can you achieve salvation if you miss the chance you have to go through the entire cycle again when did you decide that you would come here to Varanasi and how did you organize that the whole family can come as I go to ask him the next question it suddenly goes dark outage here which of course is terrible because the ventilator for his father has now stopped for the first time the room grows [Music] restless it seems as if death has become more real more tangible for the family [Music] [Music] I suspect the family would prefer to be alone for the time [Music] being on the banks of the Ganges I meet te- seller Ram yadav [Music] his family has lived in Varanasi for Seven [Music] Generations ramj you are so close to manik Kanika G um what kind of people do you meet um do you meet sad people do you meet people that are happy that their relative passed away here in Varanasi what kind of impression do you get from the people here many people who have just lost a loved one come to my tea shop it's often the case that they're sad or crying some struggle with losing their father their mother son or other family members how can you comfort these people do you try to yeah give them some comfort through your food through your tea through talking how do you do it when people tell me about their problems I explain to them that God has given each of us only a set number of days people are always looking for money or happiness but everything from birth and death is predestined by God I tell them there's no reason to cry they can live happily and in peace everyone has lost someone they loved at some point no one is mortal everyone has to go someday once again I'm made aware that death here isn't necessarily seen as something terrible I ask him if he's afraid of dying himself no I'm not afraid of death there's no reason to worry or be afraid one day I will die too I'd rather Embrace death it's best to make friends with their evenings in [Music] Varanasi every day a ceremony to honor the Ganges is held on the riverbank [Music] thousands of worshippers gather here the spiritual significance the city holds means many can make a living [Music] here kajal is 9 years old [Music] each day her mother paints her up as the Hindu deity [Music] Shiva her family including a 5-year-old brother has been homeless for some time I don't have a husband that's why we live here on the riverbank we came here mainly because of my heart condition to earn at least a little money yes we'd like to have a room but we can't afford it huh how did you get the idea of her walking around dressed as Lord Shiva a lot of people suggested it to me they told me you have no husband and you need a heart operation your daughter could walk around as Shiva I need about 500 or 600 for the operation so we're trying to get the money this way kajal collects around 500 rupees in one day a little over 5 I feel bad about it but I can't see any other way once I have enough money for the operation I'll stop sending her out what does your daughter say she seems like a happy child does she sometimes complain does she understand what she's doing there no she never complains she does a lot for me she always tells me I'll live only if you live that's why she's collecting money for my operation every afternoon follows the same routine after applying makeup kajal mingles with the tourists hoping to bring home as much money as possible give me money I will give me 50 cents I don't have that much give it to me [Music] now stop that show her face that's enough no I'm not taking that take this 20 cents [Applause] here today Kel has collected just under €4 enough for a little food for her family but not enough to save for the [Music] operation I don't feel good about what I'm doing I'm only doing it for my mother some people even call me a beggar I always tell them I'm not the beggar they are do you sometimes get in dangerous situations or situations that you don't like actually I'm never afraid I'm only scared of the thought that my mother might die I don't want my mother to [Music] [Music] die I admire kajal's strength and I find it terrible that this 9-year-old has to deal with death so early in life death and life in mukba one their close neighbors a man dies and right next to him children [Music] play alongside them the family of 20 also needs to be taken care [Applause] of that's life people come here when doctors have said there's nothing more they can do their final wish is to come to God whoever dies here here in veran can consider themselves lucky the children of course don't understand all this yet they don't know what's happening here now they came with the whole [Music] family um so can as many people come as they like while at least two people should accompany the sick person in this case it's 15 to 20 sometimes 10 or 15 family members come we never say no here everyone has offered a roof over their head [Music] the dying are blessed three times a day part of the ritual includes drinking a drop of the gangji's holy water [Music] the family sees mainly the good for their [Music] relative in whoever comes here knows that there will be no rebirth for them in life there is so much pain you meet people then part ways there is so much suffering so many illnesses death and barany means freedom from all that the ultimate freedom how much responsibility do you feel as a son right now in this situation well being a father is a big thing no matter what I did it could never be enough even if I gave my own skin for him I'll never be able to replace my father I can never repay what he's done for me we try to explain this to the children in the evening we pray and talk with each [Music] other whether we're alive or not God is there for [Music] [Applause] [Music] everyone I noticed the family's sadness that they will soon lose a loved one one yet at the same time they're happy and grateful that they have fulfilled his last wish that he's able to die here in [Music] [Music] vasi on the banks of the Ganges patosi Works late into the evening bodies are burned here around the clock it's a job the 33-year-old never really [Music] wanted I dreamed of studying leading a better life not having to do this job here but I have no proper education I've had many problem I tried different jobs nothing really worked out for me he does not want his three children to one day have to risk their own health in the smoke when my children have completed their education as engineer for instance they'll have a completely different future ahead of them they can choose other professions it hurts to see the people who've ended up here only those who are blessed get better jobs nowadays he wants his children to live the dream that was denied to him my dream is for them to get an education to become better people build a good circle of friends if I can support their dreams I'll do everything I can to make it [Music] happen it's just after 5:00 a.m. it's untypically quiet in M ban the man just passed away I feel incredibly sorry for the family at the same time I believe the family is glad it's over now and that he will hopefully find Salvation here in [Music] [Music] I'm happy for him he did everything for his family right until the last moment now his family must let go they brought him here to veranesi knowing this would be the last station of his life [Music] the family will gather everything that's needed for the burning of the body then they'll carry the body from here to the banks of the Ganges there it will be decorated and then burned [Music] everything has to move quickly now the soul is to be freed from the dead [Music] body while the men shoulder the physical weight the women stay behind they're not permitted to participate in the funeral ceremony [Music] [Music] it's aan now they're carrying him through the streets of Varanasi for everyone to see not even his face is covered to me it's very strange of course for everyone else around us it's completely normal [Music] the relatives carry the deceased man's possessions with them his belongings will be given away it would bring bad luck to keep them in the family after his death [Music] [Applause] arrival at the banks of the Ganges where the deceased is to be burned in the moment of grief fixed rituals Provide support before the funeral the eldest son of the family has his head shaved a way to pay respect to his father in the meantime firewood for the funeral P needs to be organized it costs about €100 for the 400 Kil needed the family places their relative onto the wood [Music] themselves then finally the fire is ignited the eldest son touches his father's skull three times symbolic gesture the skull is supposed to break open releasing the soul it's time for the farewells [Music] I think of the family what must be going through their minds during the [Music] fire for them a 13-day period of mourning now begins [Music] I was in Varanasi for 3 weeks it was the most intense shoot of my [Music] life it was a period in which I felt sad thoughtful and at the same time happy when I arrived I thought to myself how could anyone want to die here in this crowded noisy place where the smell of burned bodies is in the air everywhere now I've at least to some extent developed an understanding of it I've learned why people have a more positive approach to death this shoot is also changed me personally I've noticed that my fear of dealing with death has fallen away more and more death in a way is part of life I find that a really beautiful and reassuring thought