SOME call him the undertaker. Others regard him as a saviour of lost souls.
But many also see his job as one of the stinkiest around.
Welcome to the surreal world of P. Murugiah, whose task is to collect, bury or cremate unclaimed corpses.
In fact, the 54-year-old has buried or cremated about 480 unclaimed bodies, including 10 HIV carriers, from hospital mortuaries and old folk’s homes in Penang and Kedah over the past 26 years
He continues with this unpleasant task as he knows he can bring hope and salvation to poor families.
“Yes, it’s a stinking job, especially if the bodies are recovered from the sea or rivers.
“But it is part of my mission to ensure the souls are given a proper farewell,” said Murugiah a.k.a Mohan of his work.
Indeed, he wears many hats when helping the poor.
The Malaysia Hindu Sangam George Town Council Social and Welfare Committee chairman has undertaken the voluntary work with money donated by caring people, businessmen and organisations.
When The Star called him for an interview, he was at the Penang Hospital to receive the unclaimed body of one Rajendran who died in a road accident on Feb 15.
Murugiah said some of the unclaimed bodies belonged to vagrants and poor elderly people, many from estates.
“Their children probably abandoned them due to their old age. There are cases of youths who were disowned by their parents after they got involved with drugs, had mental or liquor problems or got infected with HIV,” he said.
“Some are babies and toddlers who died due to illness or accidents but their families could not afford to bury them.
“So the bodies are left at the mortuary. We even go to homes to conduct the final rites of the dead for poor families,” he said.
In 1986, he cremated a Ghanaian technician who died at a budget hotel on Lebuh Chulia after his belongings and air tickets were allegedly stolen by a trishaw rider.
The Penang Hospital kept the body for 42 days and contacted Murugiah after they failed to locate his family.
Relating his involvement, Murugiah said a newspaper had reported in 1985 that there were many unclaimed bodies at the Penang Hospital.
There were also reports of bones and skulls that were scattered at a cemetery because grave diggers had only dug about 0.5m deep instead of 1.5m to bury those who died penniless.
“I was then working with the Consumers Association of Penang and I raised the matter with president S. M. Mohd Idris who suggested that I look for organisations who were willing to handle the bodies.
“That is how the sangam came into the picture,” he said, adding that a group of 20 sangam youth members gave him a helping hand and they were still with him till today.
The group went to mortuaries in bicycles to enquire about unclaimed bodies in the early years.
Murugiah initially passed the hat around to raise funds from sangam members and friends to cover funeral expenses. At times, he forked out his own money.
“It used to cost some RM150 those days to conduct the final rites for each body but this now costs between RM450 and RM500,” he lamented.
Murugiah said a housewife, Ho Siew Eng, better known as Molly, had been helping him to cover funeral expenses since 1985.
“Although she is from a rich family, she used to bake cakes, sell them house to house and give us the proceeds.
“A businessman, Wong See Chiang, has also been helping us to cover funeral expenses since the late 1980s.
“He has helped us to conduct the final rites for about 200 bodies,” he said, adding that a Buddhist group Koperasi Bodhi Heart even set up a fund two years ago to help them.
Murugiah, an insurance agent, later ventured into more social work. He raised money to feed the poor and homeless through the Temple of Fine Arts.
He also helps out at the Temple of Fine Arts which runs a free specialist clinic for the poor at River Road in Sungai Pinang.
The 42 doctors on the panel of Klinik Derma Sivasanta treat the poor every Tuesday and Friday from 7pm to 9pm, including conducting minor surgery.
The clinic has helped some 500,000 people at their premises and through medical camps held on weekends in Penang and Kedah for the past 10 years.
Murugiah’s handphone (016-4449246) rings non-stop throughout the day
It could be a call to assist poor pupils to buy school uniforms, shoes and schoolbags. Or wheelchairs for the sick, food for the needy or milk for babies.
The sangam has handled over 200 cases since 1985. One person they helped was housewife Tajenisha Beevi Sirajidin, 34, whose family in Batu Lanchang faced bleak times in July last year.
“I am able to help many people because of the teamwork among members. Many well-wishers including businessmen, prominent lawyers and other professionals contribute money anonymously.
“We also received strong support from day one from Enrico Trading which provided free prayer items for the final rites. Anitha Saree Centre, Umayal Textiles and Rao Saree Centre provide free clothing for the deceased. Ganapathy Florist also provides free flowers.
“The Penang Bodhi Heart Sanctuary has also helped me a lot.
“I’m happy and privileged to help those in need, irrespective of race or religion,” he said, adding that he received inspiration from his guru Swami Shantanand Saraswathi.
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