Christians in Kolkata have launched a new initiative to ensure that even the poorest and most abandoned receive a dignified burial, describing it as an act of compassion and inclusion that gives dignity “even at the moment of death.”
The project, called “Shamman Samadhi” (dignified burial), was launched by the Christian Burial Board of Kolkata, which brings together representatives of various Christian denominations.
The board, in a report by the Vatican’s Fides News Agency, said the initiative aims to guarantee that “all people, regardless of their economic situation, receive a dignified and free burial.”
An area of the historic Christian cemetery in Mullickbazar, along Lower Circular Road, has been set aside for families who cannot afford burial costs and for those who die abandoned — “the outcasts, without relatives or loved ones to care for them.”
The Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa, are also taking part. The congregation, which has long served the dying and destitute, said the initiative has “expanded their mission of compassion,” allowing them to ensure that “the deceased are buried with dignity, peace, and respect.”
Kolkata’s municipal government has welcomed the effort and pledged to support it through its local development fund. The site has been divided into two areas — one for adults and another for children under the age of three.
The Christian Burial Board, which has taken responsibility for maintaining the graves, reaffirmed its commitment to serving “the city’s most vulnerable residents with empathy, respect, and civic responsibility.”
It announced plans to open a second burial site at Tollygunge Cemetery early next year to widen the initiative’s reach.
At the same time, the board has urged the city government to allocate new land for a Christian cemetery, noting that existing burial grounds, many of which date back to the British era, are already at full capacity.
