Anne Morris is one of many personifications of the community feeling brought to the forefront by the COVID-19 pandemic. In Bengaluru, she has been volunteering her time at the Indian Christian Cemetery, Shantinagar, where she ensures a proper, dignified farewell for persons who succumbed to the virus.
However, Morris is doing more than just technical and logistical work on the graveyard. She is also coming through as a source of support and comfort for families grieving their loss, as they spend final moments with their deceased kin. At this point, a timely burial being facilitated by Morris and others seems like a privilege that many states with overpopulated crematoriums cannot afford now.
"This is also a service and I’m honoured to do my bit for victims," she tells Times of India. Essentially working at an animal shelter in the city, Morris has been lending a hand at the cemetery since February this year as Karnataka sees a rise in COVID-19 cases.