As part of its monthly programme ‘Sadhakarondige Samvaada,’ the Mysore Art Gallery will felicitate Sharane Neelamma who lives and works at Veerashaiva Rudrabhoomi in Vidyaranyapuram. The felicitation event will be held on Mar. 11 at 11 am at the Mysore Art Gallery on Ramanuja Road.

President of Kannada Sahitya Kalakoota M. Chandrashekhar will deliver the introductory remarks and Corporator M. Sunil Kumar will be the chief guest. Noted advocates Ambale Shivanandaswamy and M. Shivakumaraswamy, Rotary North Hon. Secretary M. Raju and President of Gowrishankar Nandidwaja Sangha L. Mahadevappa Udigala will be  special invitees.

About Sharane Neelamma

At a time when a woman visiting burial grounds is considered a taboo in many cultures, 60-year-old Neelamma works at Veerashaiva burial ground in Vidyaranyapuram to make a living by digging graves.

Hailing from Kothegala village in H.D. Kote, she married Basavaraju, who worked at the burial grounds. She shifted to Veerashaiva Rudrabhoomi along with her husband and two sons and assisted her husband to dig graves.

Her husband died of illness years ago and she had the responsibility of taking care of her children. Though she had no clue about what to do after Basavaraju’s death, she decided to take up her husband’s job. For a few months, she was disturbed and felt desolate. Grit and determination made her rebuild her life from scratch.

Though she faced many difficulties and had to encounter adverse comments from the society after her husband’s death, she did not give up and refused to be cowed down. Today she is confident and says that with courage and will-power anyone can overcome any obstacles in life. She provided good education to her children and repaid debts, despite her difficulties.

She single-handedly digs at least four graves a day and for each 6-ft deep grave, she puts in three hours of hard labour and earns between Rs. 500 and Rs. 600. She does not charge the poor and till now, she would have dug over 1,000 graves.

“Mine is back-breaking labour and has given me severe back pain. My sons are married and they are settled. Though they ask me to give up gravedigging job, I have been leading an independent life. I will continue this job till I have physical strength,” she says.

It is not easy for a woman to live in a cemetery. “For me it is a workplace where Lord Shiva lives. No work is too small or depraving for those who earn their livelihood in a righteous way,” she adds. Nagamma has pledged her body to JSS  Medical College.