A pioneering programme at Kozhikode’s Institute of Palliative Medicine is training ordinary people to support those who have suffered the loss of a loved one, after the rituals end and visitors leave
From remote villages to cities in socially close-knit Keralam, the response to a death is usually swift and instinctive.
Neighbours and relatives arrive almost immediately. A tent comes up outside the house, plastic chairs appear in rows, and arrangements are made for food and tea. People step in to help with religious rites and the funeral, often without the bereaved having to ask for anything.