Crematorium in Chennai to go hi-tech with free Wi-Fi

Friday, 14 April 2017 00:00 administrator
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The Hindu        14.04.2017   

Crematorium in Chennai to go hi-tech with free Wi-Fi

It will help live stream the last rites being performed

After all the announcements on free wi-fi at various public places, here’s the last place you’d expect to have the service — literally, the place where the dead go.

A crematorium on New Avadi Road, Anna Nagar, is all set to go hi-tech with a free wi-fi facility from Saturday.

While jokes have been cracked about whether this would allow communication with the dear departed, the organisers say that it serves a practical purpose.

The free wi-fi will help relatives of the deceased to live stream the last rites being performed at the crematorium back home or to relatives living abroad, and others who were unable to attend the funeral.

The facility will be inaugurated at the Greater Chennai Corporation Velankadu crematorium that is managed by the non-governmental organisation, Indian Community Welfare Organisation.

Its founder secretary, A.J. Hariharan, said the idea came to him after a recent incident where an old lady staying in London could not attend the funeral of a close relative in Chennai. Other relatives took pictures to send to her in London.

“This is when I thought about this option. If we provide free wi-fi here, then, a number of people might like to use it to stream videos of the proceedings to those who, for any reason, cannot be present.”


“This will also help relatives and friends living abroad to virtually visit the crematorium to view the proceedings through live streaming. We are getting high speed internet connectivity which will enable streaming. Also, we figured people can share the location of the crematorium with a GPS pin on social media sites, to help others reach the spot.

Sponsorship for one year

About 20 people will be able to use the facility during the working hours of the crematorium (8 a.m.- 6 p.m.). As of now, we have paid up for a year, thanks to our sponsors,” Mr. Hariharan said.

The facility is being sponsored by the Rotary Club of Meenambakkam for one year.

It would be extended to more hours depending on the patronage, said Mr. Hariharan.

There are also plans to facilitate live telecast some funerals on the web in the coming months, with the concurrence of the relatives, he added.

Last Updated on Monday, 17 April 2017 07:27