John Pinto, 26/11 hero, works relentlessly with an aim that the deceased are buried, cremated or repatriated with dignity. This is the first part of a three-part series
On the night of 26/11, when most Indians were busy switching from one news channel to another, when concerned relatives were calling or messaging furiously to their loved ones in Mumbai to take stock of their safety, when people were reluctant to step out of the comfort of their houses and risk their lives, there was one man and his organisation working 24x7 to fulfil a duty of giving "dignity to the dead" who fell victim to the carnage.
Meet John Pinto, the undertaker from Byculla, central Mumbai. Assisted by his wife Edna Pinto and staff of about 70-odd people, Mr Pinto undertook the responsibility of cremating, burying or repatriating about (approximately) 180 bodies from the aftermath of the deadly terrorist attack.
Mr Pinto told Moneylife, "Dealing with 180-odd bodies in five days was quite a task. We didn't sleep for five nights. We were working round-the-clock. We had about 10 bodies left on the fifth day because some family members were supposed to come in. Finally, after five days, we said that we are not doing anything but sleeping. We gave everyone six hours sleep. At 12 o'clock, we asked them (staff) to go to sleep and 7 o'clock we woke them up and then our work started again."
Dealing with an average of 15 cases per day, Mr and Mrs Pinto said they were not overwhelmed by the huge task that lay ahead of them. At that time, when one would dread coming to Mumbai, Mr Pinto said his staff from all over the country came to assist the couple in clearing work with just one sole aim in mind - that the victims had to receive dignified funerals.
Mrs Pinto explained, "Dignity to a dead person - that is the bottom line of everything we do. Every case is important to us. The poorest of the poor or the richest of the rich - both are the same for us. It's like someone who is your own. It has to be done with dignity. There should be no hiccups. Then everyone is happy."
The cost of repatriating bodies to a foreign nation depends on the part of the country the body is being sent, and the weight of the body. For example, if a body weighing around 60 kg has to be sent to Los Angeles, it will cost between Rs1,20,000 and Rs1,35,000, including all the costs for embalming and embassy formalities. The documents required are the death certificate and the passport.
The Pintos were greatly in demand during the 26/11 attack as they specialise in repatriating bodies. They handled about 95% of the victims who had perished during the attack. The Pintos marvel at preserving and embalming bodies for their journey back to their home countries. "The most difficult thing in repatriation is embalming of bodies. They have to be absolutely of international standards. All the bodies (of the 26/11 attacks) were mutilated. There were gunshot wounds and all the bodies were in bad shape. Some were burnt. We ensured that the bodies looked as close to normal as possible," said Mr Pinto.
It was this service to the community that earned Mr Pinto one of Britain's highest honours for civilians - the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). It is awarded to overseas citizens who have made a strong and sustained contribution in their country to the British community. While bestowing the MBE, Peter Beckingham, British deputy high commissioner in Mumbai, mentioned the "dignity with which Pinto handled the bodies of the 26/11 victims and the way the bodies were preserved so that they could be identified by the next of kin."
But for the Pintos, the tragedy and its aftermath still resound in their minds. Mrs Pinto said, "You can't compare it with any of the other things that have happened in Bombay. The city was in a state of shock. The bodies kept coming in. We had people coming in soaked with blood. They tried to take some of the injured to hospital, but a few died on the way. It was a difficult situation altogether."
If their deeds were lost in the aftermath of the tragedy, it was the Pintos who consciously kept the media away. Mrs Pinto told Moneylife, "We (deliberately) kept the press out. We did not allow anyone inside. That way, people were more comfortable and happy as they were themselves miserable and if a question is asked, they would not have liked it at all. And if you come with a big camera, it's worse. People wanted their privacy. They were in a state of shock."
But the Pintos are not complaining. It's the satisfaction on the face of their customers that matters to them. Mrs Pinto said, "We handled so many bodies of different nationalities, all of the same type. It was five days of non-stop work. But, they (the kin of the dead) knew we were doing our best... and that was enough for us." — Ashok Shaw
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