85-year-old gets grand celebratory funeral

India Today

Richpal Gaadiya Lohar’s funeral in Alwar was a vibrant procession with elephants, music, and dancing — honouring a centuries-old tradition of his community.

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00:00That's 85-year-old Richpal Gadia Lohar, a respected community elder, who was given a

00:12grand send-off, not in mourning but in celebration, on 19 March in Alwar.

00:17Richpal's body was dressed like a groom, complete with a turban and glasses.

00:21Elephants, horses, camels and a DJ accompanied his last journey as family members danced

00:27and sang bhajans instead of mourning.

00:29Richpal, a panch of five districts, was well-respected in his community.

00:33People from Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh gathered in Alwar.

00:37Where have you come from?

00:39From Delhi, Gurgaon and Alwar.

00:43Donations were collected to organise the grand farewell, keeping alive a long-standing tradition

00:48in the Gadia Lohar community.

00:49Our ancestors also used to light lamps like this.

00:52We, the entire community, used to collect money for this.

00:55That's why we buried him.

00:57The community has been honouring the deceased with vibrant funeral processions since the

01:01time of Maharana Pratap, i.e. the 16th century.

01:04This is our tradition.

01:07We have been doing this for a long time.

01:10Videos of the extravagant funeral are now going viral on social media, sparking discussions

01:15about tradition, death and celebration.

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