Gujarat man performs grand 'samadhi' for car which 'brought them fortune'

Ahmedabad: In an unusual development, an 18-year-old car, which had reached its end of life, was buried (samadhi) at its owner's faarm in a grand function held on Thursday in Amreli district.

The function called, "samadhi of beloved four-wheeler" was witnessed by over 1,500 villagers, priests and religious leaders.

The car, a Maruti Wagon R, was decked up with garlands and rose petals. The villagers performed garba dance surrounding the car and a procession to the samadhi-spot was also carried out.

At the spot, it was taken to a pit, about 15 feet deep, in the farmland where the pooja was performed in the background of music and chatter of curious villagers who had gathered to witness the occasion. The event happened at Padarshinga village Lathi taluka.

After the rituals, the car was taken into the pit and was buried amidst divine chants. "I just did it without thinking because I loved this car which changed my fortune ever since I bought it back in 2006," Sanjay Polra, the owner of the car, told Deccan Herald.

Polra bought the car when he was working as a property broker in Surat, where he migrated like a large number of people from Saurashtra for better opportunities. Today he said he owns an Audi and has become a builder.

"I had never heard of a samadhi of a car. I did it because I think it was a fitting farewell," he said. As a matter of fact, Polra had planned a grand function much in advance. He even distributed invitation cards to 1,500 people.

The four-page invite called, "Mangal Avasar" (auspicious occasion", has a picture of the car on each page. In the invite, Polra has written how with the blessings of Khodiyar Mata he bought the car back in 2006 and since it remained with him like a family member.

It said that the motor car brought prosperity and elevated the family's prestige in the society for which they were grateful. “This is the reason we have planned a samadhi for our beloved car to keep it as a memory forever,” the card in Gujarati read.

The event ended with a folk musical extravaganza and feasting.