Worli Crematorium To Be Redeveloped And Modernised

Mumbai’s Mata Ramabai Ambedkar crematorium, located at Worli, is currently being renovated into a series of eight covered pavilions, with latest equipment installed, including landscaped gardens, vast skylights, and in-built closed-circuit cameras that will be able to relay the funeral ceremony to friends and family, worldwide. Spanning nine acres, this world-class public crematorium will be open to all communities.

Currently comprising dilapidated buildings, sheds and giant banyan trees, the Worli crematorium is one of Mumbai’s oldest among the oldest in the city and features a Parsi Prayer Hall for those who opt for cremation. Of the total 202 funeral rites venues in Mumbai, the Municipal Corporation manages 64 – it has 43 crematoriums (of which 11 are electric), 13 cemeteries for Muslims and 8 Christian cemeteries.

Designed by architect Rahul Mehrotra, who currently chairs the department of urban planning and design at Harvard University, the project aims at creating a space that is both – poetic and functional, while also being environmentally responsible. An entry court leads to a 10,000 square foot open courtyard, with a water body, around which are air-conditioned waiting lounges as well as prayer halls. The flow of the spaces enables social distancing as well as privacy. Piped gas-will replace the traditional electronic crematoriums and the remains will go through a process that would be least environmentally damaging for the congested residential neighbourhood that includes both high-rise buildings and low-income colonies. The layout has been envisioned such that one leaves the city behind the moment one crosses the threshold.

The first set of pavilions are expected to open in March this year, with possible delay due to the pandemic. The Rs. 40-crore project has been generously supported by individual and corporate donors.