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.