The number of COVID deaths has been increasing exponentially since the last month due to which the crematoriums in Pune are required to run in full capacity, all day long. With an average of 20 bodies brought into a crematorium, the workers are burdened and overworked. Furthermore, these crematorium workers are exposed to hazardous working conditions, yet barely being provided with COVID resources for their own safety. The underreporting of COVID deaths by the government not only undermines the solemnity of the virus but also disregards the hardships of these crematorium workers who risk their lives every day.

Reeling from the second wave of the COVID 19 virus, the entire country faces a shortage of hospital beds and oxygen supplies. Lack of medical assistance has led to a meteoric rise in death rates, especially in Pune, Maharashtra. Wrapped in plastic, dead bodies are piling outside the crematoriums and burial grounds, waiting to receive a proper funeral. With little to no help from the government, organizations such as Ummat Foundation have risen to the occasion and work towards providing a funeral to the dead so that they can depart with dignity.