In a nation that prides itself on its rich spiritual traditions and deep-rooted respect for life and death, the issue of unidentified and unclaimed bodies presents a haunting paradox. Every year, thousands of bodies are found abandoned in city streets, under flyovers, along railway tracks or left in hospital mortuaries. These are lives lost without a name, without a goodbye and often, without dignity.
Behind each of these cases lies a silent tragedy. Mental illness, migration, poverty, accidents and urban alienation are just some of the reasons people go missing or die unnoticed. In the absence of identification or kin, these bodies are often disposed of in a perfunctory manner by overburdened civic authorities. What gets lost in this process is not just the identity of the person, but their right to a dignified farewell.
Philanthropist and social advocate Mohit Kamboj has been at the forefront of addressing this deeply emotional and humanitarian crisis. His voice carries weight not just because of his outreach, but because of the empathy and respect he brings to this cause.
“A person may live in neglect, but death must never be undignified,” says Kamboj adding, “We owe every individual, regardless of who they were, the decency of a proper farewell. That is the essence of humanity.”
Kamboj’s foundation, in collaboration with civic bodies and local volunteers, contemplates to take the initiative of conducting respectful funerals for unidentified bodies by offering cremations or burials according to what is believed to be the deceased’s faith, ensuring that prayers, rituals and solemnity are not overlooked.
This effort goes beyond ritual and is a quiet act of resistance against the apathy that often creeps into urban life. It challenges the idea that identity is a prerequisite for empathy. It tells us that even in anonymity, there is human worth.
The problem is neither small nor isolated. Metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Chennai each report hundreds, sometimes thousands of such cases annually. Hospitals and morgues are often overwhelmed, and procedures for identification, post-mortem, and disposal are burdened with bureaucracy and resource constraints.
It is our duty not only to handle the final rites, but also trace families through available documentation or identification drives, and in some cases, even aid police investigations when foul play is suspected. But when all avenues are exhausted, the team steps up not out of obligation, but out of reverence.
“It’s not about religion or charity. It’s about remembering that every soul matters. In honouring their death, we preserve our own humanity,” he quipped.
The way a society treats most forgotten, in life or in death, is a mirror to its values. By offering help in conducting their funeral is not just a service, it is a reminder: that identity may be lost, but dignity must never be.
As we walk faster and talk louder in the rush of modern life, perhaps we must pause to ask — Are we doing enough to remember those who are forgotten? Let their last rites be a ritual of remembrance, not just a formality. Because no one deserves to leave this world in silence.