Ashish Has Been Rescuing The Abandoned For 20 Years Now, Support Him

“I was working as a security supervisor at a government hospital when I saw the most pitiful sight one day. A group of dogs were pulling at what looked like a piece of cloth opposite the hospital. When I went closer I realised that it was a decomposing body! The body had just been abandoned on the road with no one to carry out its last rights. I knew I had to do something. I finally got help from the hospital staff, wrapped the body in a sheet and then performed my first funeral that day.” - Ashish Thakur, Founder, Moksha

That was in 1999, and since then, Ashish has conducted thousands of cremations and given countless people the last rites they deserve and has rescued people from the streets through his NGO, Moksha.

Ashish Has Spent The Last 20 Years In Service Of OthersMoksha or mukti, means the liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth - an important concept in Indian philosophy and religion. A dignified last rite is said to be the beginning of the journey to Moksha, and hence is one of the most crucial Indian rituals. Unfortunately, as Ashish learnt in 1999, not everyone receives the respect that they deserve. There are thousands of people in India who are not cremated or buried with dignity, but are abandoned. And thousands more who are left to fend for themselves on the streets.

Ashish started Moksha (registered in 2007) in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, an NGO that is involved in burying or cremating abandoned bodies. Along with this, they also help abandoned elderly and people who are left to die on the streets. Ashish and his volunteers provide them with nutritious food, shelter and medicines, and even perform their last rites if they pass away. Until now, they have rescued 4,310 elderly, out of which over 1,816 have been rehabilitated and more than 5500 people have been cremated.“There are so many infant girls whose bodies have been abandoned because they’re families don’t want a girl child. It’s devastating to find them in such conditions. We bury or cremate them as well. We find so many people who are on the brink of death, and we do our best to give them the medical care they need to recover or pass away with ease.”

Ashish, a banker, continues to have a stable job and carry out the NGO’s work with his savings. Having turned down many bigger opportunities in India and abroad, Ashish has consistently shown his dedication to this cause. However now, he needs your help to take Moksha’s mission forward.

How You Can HelpDuring the second wave of the pandemic, Ashish and his team were overwhelmed with calls for funerals. In two months, they performed over 2,000 funerals, and there seemed to be no respite. Regardless of the threat to their own lives and their families, team Moksha continued to carry out funerals day in and day out.

Today, they need your help to continue their work of giving people a dignified cremation or burial and also taking care of the destitutes and abandoned elderly. Ashish needs your support to get grocery kits, medical kits, hygiene kits and an ambulance - all of which will ensure that the abandoned and elderly have a chance of a healthy life.Your contribution can make a difference.

About the NGO:

Moksha was started in 2007 by Ashish Thakur in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. This is an NGO that gives thousands of people the last rites they deserve by burying or cremating abandoned bodies. Along with this, they also help abandoned elderly and destitute people who are left to die on the streets. Ashish and his volunteers provide them with food, shelter and medicines, and even perform their last rites if they pass away. Until now, they have rescued 4,310 elderly, out of which over 1,816 have been rehabilitated and more than 5500 people have been cremated.