Begin here….

First off , let me begin the blog with how and why this blog started.

I know Prabha was planning to do this too. Not sure if she did.

I want to write a blog on “How to Die ?”. Do not get wrong ideas. No , am not going to list down the painless methods of taking your life. Or a speech on why you should or should not.

Here is how it all started. I lost my father a few years back. People close to me know the difficulties me and my family members faced at that time. Not just emotionally. I mean losing a parent is a very difficult thing at any point in your life. More so when you are younger. But then living in a country like India – it is also administratively a big challenge.

You have to be prepared to die.

You have to take care of small things while you are alive so that people who have to handle your finances and other things when you are gone – have a lesser burden – atleast administratively.

Let me explain. For example – booking a burial ground / freezer etc can also be the most tedious of processes at times. I remember calling the burial ground for booking Crematorium time slot. The response from the other end of the phone was shocking – “Fully booked for the next 3 days” , he said. ” You can try on the 4th day – that too only in the evening we have a slot”.

“Are you predicting so many people will die in the next few days?” , I asked him – still reeling from the shock of how a crematorium can be pre-booked.

Thats when I realised – Death is also a business for many. There are agencies which have booked these slots , you can go them , pay more money than what you would if you booked a crematorium on your own – and you would get this slot at the crematorium you want.

I dont mind paying more money – point is am I getting any value-added service from these guys ? The answer is no.

Anyway , this apart , there are other obstacles – getting a death certificate , legal heirship document etc. A POA is null and void when a person dies. Bank accounts may get frozen. You still have to pay income tax for the deceased for that financial year even if he/she was alive for a few months of that financial year. All this is a little bit more easy if you have certain details. I , for one, knew nothing about my dad’s finances. or, how corrupt every step is when you have to go through certain agencies – especially government ones – to carry out some tasks.

So I want to write a blog.

Which people can follow and set right certain things like as simple as adding nominees to policies for instance.

Which can make life a little less complicated for the loved ones who not only have to deal with the very painful loss of loved one but also such lame administrative issues.

What do you think ? Do you want to help me write this blog by sharing some of your experiences that can go into this blog ?

HOW TO DIE ?