A CEMETERY LIKE THIS ONE IN BUENOS AIRES – LET US ALSO HAVE AT DELHI AND SAVE HUNDREDS OF ACRES OF VALUABLE PRIME LAND

In India, a trend has set in for building SAMADHI type memorials.  It started with Mahatma Gandhi’s Samadhi at Rajghat, Delhi.  This was followed by Nehru’s Shantivan, Indira Gandhi’s Shakti Sthal and then a few other ex prime ministers in the same area.  Not only prime ministers, but there is also a samadhi of non-prime minister Sanjay Gandhi in the same area.  A demand was made by Shiv sainiks for building a samadhi of Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thakeray at Shivaji Park, Bombay.  Voices, though feeble, have often been raised by persons from various walks of life against the wastage of prime Delhi land for these samadhis. 

         There are always few important and popular persons in every country whose samadhis or mausoleums exist there.  The relatives and successors of every VIP want to perpetuate the memory of their mentors by building some sort of memorials.  Though some such monuments meet the fate of Stalin’s mausoleum at Red Square, Moscow.

         This problem has been very cleverly solved in Argentina.  They have built samadhis of all Argentinean VIPs of varying hues by creating a VIP cemetery.  This cemetery is located at Recoleta, a suburb of Buenos Aires city.  With the expansion of Buenos Aires, Recoleta has now almost merged with Buenos Aires.  It has also become an important tourist destination of Buenos Aires and attracts thousands of visitors daily.

A street in the cemetery

         The cemetery is located in a 15 acre and has over 4500 graves some of which are of very important and famous persons in various walks of life.  There are also graves of some past presidents and important politicians of Argentina.

 Me at the Cemetery

         You don't have to be a president or prime minister to be laid there for final rest.  If you have means, you could buy a plot there for burial.  However, it must be costing a fortune and have your grave or a family grave at that spot.  But the place is not exclusives earmarked for politicians like Rajghat area.  Such graves are like vaults and coffins of different family members are kept there.  Some these are very well kept and some seem to have become unattended and are therefore declining.

 Another street at the Cemetery

         How about having Recoleta type of Cemetery in Delhi or even other Indian cities and to consolidate the samadhis and save hundreds of acres of prime land for some other useful purposes.  

 Coffins of some family kept at one of the the graves

 Visiting tourists at the Cemetery with an official guide telling the vistors about this place.