By The holy city of Varanasi, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, is celebrated for its temples; shrines; palaces; ancient ghats – flights of stone steps – descending into the sacred Ganges River; as a pilgrimage site; and final resting place.
Hindus believe a cremation here will provide moksha – the soul’s liberation from the death and rebirth cycle. Two of the eighty-eight ghats are designated cremation grounds, Manikarnika Ghat and Harishchandra Ghat, where wooden pyres blaze around-the-clock. Lord Shiva is believed to reside in Varanasi, whispering the taraka (ferryboat) mantra to the dead before leading their souls to heaven.
Peppered throughout these sacred grounds are the Doms, male corpse burners who have ownership of the sacred fire, without which, it is believed, the soul cannot achieve moksha. However, despite their religious significance, the Doms are treated as worthless beyond the ghats.
The Untouchables in India: the Custodians of the Dead
Doms are deemed ‘untouchable’ by the caste system – Hinduism’s over 3000-year-old social division based on occupation and governed by birth – which placed the Brahmins (priests and scholars) at the top; then the Kshatriyas – warriors; the Vaishyas – traders and farmers; and the Shudras – servants and laborers – at the bottom.
Outside the caste system were the Ati-shudras or outcastes, their work as sewage cleaners, corpse burners, and leather workers were seen as impure and polluting. They have endured abuse and violence from dominant castes for centuries, despite untouchability and negative caste-based discrimination being illegal. Now, these ‘outcastes’ are known as Dalits – a name they have given themselves.
Isolated and invisible, the Doms, a Dalit sub-caste, are relatively unknown to the rest of society. But a book released in September 2023, Fire on the Ganges, delves into the lives of this community. The author, award-winning Indian journalist Radhika Iyengar, spent eight years researching, interviewing, and spending time with the Doms in Varanasi, resulting in an engaging, compelling, and moving narrative about this marginalized group, brimming with detail about life among the dead.
Iyengar describes the punishing work; the discrimination; the Doms’ challenges with poverty, hunger, patriarchy, health, education, and alcohol and drug addiction to cope with their work environment. And their dreams, ambitions, and joys. Several protagonists feature, their names changed to protect their identities, and we learn about the Doms through their stories.
The work in the ghats requires physical, mental, and emotional resilience. Mohan, one of the corpse burners in the book, describes how “at the ghat…the blood simmers under their skin. Working in these conditions, even their strong, masculine bodies feel fatigued and weak.” Iyengar recalls a day when she stood too close to a cluster of burning pyres, the smell and heat making her throw up and almost pass out. “I realised how excruciating it was for the corpse-burners to labour in such harsh conditions: to stand near the burning pyres for hours in peak summer, dehydrated and without any protective gear, with vicious smoke irritating their vision and lungs—it is an extremely hostile and dangerous work environment,” says Iyengar. Thirst, blisters, nausea, burns, respiratory problems, and dehydration are regular side effects of the job.
A Dom cremates three to five bodies daily, earning between INR 250-300 (USD 3 to 3.60) per corpse, though this can go up to a few hundred or a thousand rupees extra if the mourning family is generous. They also earn whatever additional amounts they can by reusing or reselling materials in the ghats, including the shrouds, shawls, wood from the pyres as cooking fuel, and the bamboo frames on which the corpses arrive. They sift through the ashes for melted jewelry and metal – a silver tooth, a nose ring, gold bangles – which can be sold.
In the book, Mohan finds ten milligrams of gold after five-hours of ash sifting in the river, which he sells for Rs. 40 (approximately 50 cents) – just enough for a fried snack and a cup of tea. “At the end of the day, the Doms are trying to survive. They use and reuse whatever is accessible and available around them,” says Iyengar. Education is a challenge as many Dom children start working young, the boys at the ghats and the girls at home. “Most Dom families in the Chand Ghat neighborhood live a hand-to-mouth existence. For the parents, education is not a priority, earning is, otherwise how will their kitchens run?” says Iyengar.
Discrimination is a part of their everyday lives. After she lost her husband, the only jobs Dolly, one of the protagonists, was given when she looked for work were cleaning toilets. When Iyengar invited some Dom children to her guest house for lunch, the manager asked if instead of the ceramic crockery, the children could be served in disposable plates, which could be thrown away after.
It is the caste system that continues to ensure that only Doms handle the dead.
And yet there appears to be little anger or resentment in the Doms in the book. “Hindu society has led the Doms to believe that their caste, their profession, and their identity are inextricably fused. Many Doms don’t see a way out of this predicament and accept their fate,” says Iyengar.
It is ironic that the Doms are discriminated against for doing the work for which they are religiously significant, bestowed with the “privilege” of handling the cremation fire and helping the departed attain moksha. Santosh, one of the cremators in the book is offended when Iyengar asks him if someone from a different caste could be given his job. He is proud of his “birth right,” reiterating that only he and his community can burn corpses. As Iyengar reminds the reader, “it is the caste system that continues to ensure that only Doms handle the dead, no upper-caste Hindus willing to burn corpses, despite the role being glorified for centuries.”
There is also hope, success, and flickers of change in the book. Dolly must earn a living to support her children after she is widowed, opening a small daily supplies shop. Despite the Dom community’s disapproval of a woman working outside the home, Dolly perseveres, even inspiring a few other Dom women to consider starting something of their own. Her brother Lakshaya goes against the grain to work as a tourist guide in Varanasi, and falls in love with Komal, a girl from a higher-caste. They persist with the relationship for years despite objections from Komal’s family and threats from her community.
Towards the end of the book, Iyengar provides an account of the wedding celebrations and how people from other castes – Lakshaya’s tourist guide colleagues – also attend the event. Mohan’s brother Bhola gets the opportunity to study at a private school. Bhola works hard, going on to college and getting a job in the city of Chennai.
While it is encouraging to hear these stories of change, it is evident that it will take time for caste to be separated from cremation work and for Doms to work in any job of their choosing. In the book, Bhola tells Iyengar that in the meantime it would be good for the government to lead the way in treating cremation services as a respectable profession, with the Doms assigned eight-hour shifts and paid monthly salaries.
Dignity of labour, respect, and visibility is what they want, and this book attempts to make this marginalised group heard and seen. “This book is the first in-depth account of their lives, which details their everyday realities, aspirations, ambitions, hopes and challenges. It was written with the intention to inform the readers about the Dom community and initiate a dialogue,” says Iyengar. “The community members are thrilled about the book and are hopeful that their circumstances will improve.”
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