Book Review - Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer by Cyrus Mistry

Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer by Cyrus Mistry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A poignant glimpse into the little known ‘brotherhood of death’ within the chthonic Parsi community. Here is an example of the touching juxtaposition of morbidity with the appreciation of nature’s radiance

Carrion work...the constant consanguinity with corpses... the smell of sickness endures; the reek of extinction never leaves the nostril.
Outside the wire-meshed window, a sprig of pale orange bougainvillea swayed slightly. As I climbed out of bed, the rays of a fledgling sun touched the treetops lightly with a golden brush. The sky was deep blue and softly luminous, without a speck of cloud.

It is puzzling that despite the mind-boggling wealth of the Parsis and their well-known charitable deeds, there are still indigent members of the community – living and suffering in squalor.
Humanity has polluted Earth in many ways. Diclofenac - a pain relieving, anti-inflammatory medicine is used both in humans as well as in animals. Animal carcasses with traces of the drug in their bodies were consumed by vultures, causing liver toxicity in these scavenging birds, leading to the eventual extinction of vultures - so crucial for the disposal of Parsi corpses.
Spoiler alert: There is a segment that could well be the script of the farcical Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron.

View all my reviews