<p class="title">When family members refused to conduct the last rites of an elderly man from the Brahmin community, a social worker from the Muslim community conducted the last rites as per the Hindu rituals.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Venugopal Rao (62), a resident of Padubidri Brahmastana in Udupi district, had died on Thursday. The deceased was unmarried but had siblings. However, none of them came forward to perform the last rites and even did not attend the funeral.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Asif who conducted the final rites had seen Rao suffering from mental illness near Padubidri temple a few years ago. Rao was later admitted to Wenlock Hospital in Mangaluru.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"After Rao recovered, I had asked the family members to take him back to their house. As everyone refused to take him, I shifted him to an orphanage, Maimuna Foundation at Mulki Karnad, which is run by me," said Asif.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Rao was not well for the past few days and thus we had shifted him to Mulki hospital, where he breathed his last. Since he died of age-related illness, doctors did not press for a Covid test. “Rao, suffering from depression, was always enquiring about his family members,” recollected Asif.</p>.<p class="bodytext">As no one came forward to conduct the last rites, I performed it at Hindu Rudrabhoomi in Mulki, Asif adds.</p>
<p class="title">When family members refused to conduct the last rites of an elderly man from the Brahmin community, a social worker from the Muslim community conducted the last rites as per the Hindu rituals.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Venugopal Rao (62), a resident of Padubidri Brahmastana in Udupi district, had died on Thursday. The deceased was unmarried but had siblings. However, none of them came forward to perform the last rites and even did not attend the funeral.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Asif who conducted the final rites had seen Rao suffering from mental illness near Padubidri temple a few years ago. Rao was later admitted to Wenlock Hospital in Mangaluru.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"After Rao recovered, I had asked the family members to take him back to their house. As everyone refused to take him, I shifted him to an orphanage, Maimuna Foundation at Mulki Karnad, which is run by me," said Asif.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Rao was not well for the past few days and thus we had shifted him to Mulki hospital, where he breathed his last. Since he died of age-related illness, doctors did not press for a Covid test. “Rao, suffering from depression, was always enquiring about his family members,” recollected Asif.</p>.<p class="bodytext">As no one came forward to conduct the last rites, I performed it at Hindu Rudrabhoomi in Mulki, Asif adds.</p>