“Don’t cry, he’s in a happy place now,” the parents of Harish Rana, the first person in India to be allowed passive euthanasia, said on Wednesday as they bid farewell to their son for the last time.
Harish’s last rites were conducted at the cremation ground in South Delhi’s Green Park on Wednesday morning, marking a peaceful end to his 13-year ordeal.
In a final act of generosity, Harish’s family agreed to donate five of his organs.
The 31-year-old died on Tuesday after falling into a coma in 2013, after falling from a fourth-floor balcony while he was a B.Tech student at Punjab University.
During the last rites, Harish’s mother bid an emotional farewell to her son and met those present, while his father Ashok Rana urged mourners not to cry, a neighbor told PTI over phone.
Residents who attended the cremation described the atmosphere as very emotional. Tejas Chaturvedi, a resident of the Raj Empire Society, noted that many attendees were moved to tears during the ceremony. However, Ashok Rana continued to console others and encouraged them to remain strong in their moment of grief.
He said: “No one cries. I pray to God that my son leaves in peace. Wherever he is born, he will receive God’s blessings.”
Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai, who visited the cremation site to pay his respects, told PTI that the family had confirmed the donation of five of Harish’s organs. “Harish may be gone, but he will continue to live on through the beneficiaries of his organ donations. The family has set an example for the entire nation,” Rai told PTI over phone.
Family members, along with representatives of the Brahma Kumaris, a women-led spiritual movement, attended the cremation to offer their prayers for Harish. Residents of the Raj Empire Society in Ghaziabad, where Rana’s family lives, also came out to show their support, joining a variety of NGOs, AIIMS employees, relatives and friends.
Harish’s body was taken to the cremation ground in an ambulance, and the platform was covered with rose petals. Many mourners paid their last respects with folded hands, and some placed saffron wreaths on the body before placing it on the pyre. Ashish Rana, Harish’s younger brother, lit the pyre along with his sister Bhavna.
Sister Lovely of the Brahma Kumaris, who associated with the family and traveled to the cremation ground, said meditative chants were performed during the last rites. “The body leaves the mortal world, but the soul is immortal and begins a new journey,” she said.
“The family decided to donate Harish’s eyes,” Sister Lovely told PTI.
Additionally, Sister Lovely shared that an ‘offering’ ritual and prayer will be conducted by the Brahma Kumaris in the coming days, during which the food items enjoyed by Harish will be prepared. “Harish could not eat for more than a decade. Now his soul is free. In a symbolic gesture, we will give him the food that his body loved,” she said.
Earlier, neighbors and well-wishers spoke of the family’s steadfast commitment to Harish’s care despite the emotional and financial challenges they have faced over the years. His parents, Ashok Rana and Nirmala Devi, described the decision to allow passive euthanasia as “extremely painful but necessary”.
According to sources, the family is scheduled to return to their residence in Ghaziabad after completing the last rites and related rituals.
Harish was shifted to the palliative care unit at AIIMS Delhi earlier this month from his home in Ghaziabad following a landmark Supreme Court order allowing his life support to be withdrawn. He passed away on Tuesday.
The Supreme Court has made it clear that passive euthanasia in his case would involve withdrawing artificial nutrition, such as a feeding tube, while continuing palliative care to allow a natural death with dignity. Medical boards concluded that his condition was irreversible.
