FROM RELIGIOUS NEWS SERVICE
SAYREVILLE, NJ, December 28, 2007: Greg Young is the co-owner of the Hindu Funeral Home in Sayreville, NJ, USA, one of two funeral homes in the state catering exclusively to Hindu services. While many funeral homes cater to different faiths, Young said he and co-owner Peter Kothari realized there was a niche to be served with the state’s surging Asian-Indian community.
“Funeral directors have always helped cultures maintain their practices and religious beliefs,” said Young. Charlton McIlwain, an assistant professor of media, culture and communication at New York University’s sociology department, said funerals are an important way for ethnic groups to maintain their cultural identities. Young said he handles an average of three to four funerals a week with clients from throughout New Jersey and New York. At India Funeral Services, the state’s other all-Hindu funeral home, owner Anna Louise Bongiovi arranges more than 100 ceremonies a year. Young and Bongiovi say the demand for the services is growing each year, which provides a strong incentive for them to become as knowledgeable as possible about different customs.
Young said an important part of his role is explaining local laws and helping families adapt customs to keep traditions as close as possible. Young and Bongiovi also arrange for bodies and remains to be shipped to India, which means doing everything from getting papers from the consulate in New York to finding a plane willing to take the body.
“We were a little suspicious at first,” said Sejal Vyas, who recently needed their services. Young is an American guy, who’s not at all Indian, and we were not sure how he would handle all the different things involved. But I saw that he clearly knew more than I did.”