DEHRA DUN, UTTARAKHAND, INDIA, January 22, 2009: Robert Brayon, 61, an American citizen, today was cremated on the banks of the Saryu river in Bageshwar according to Hindu rituals, as he wished. He left money for his last rites and for a shanti moksha paath, a Hindu ritual for the deceased.
Brayon, who was suffering from blood cancer, had come to Haldwani for treatment in Susheela Tiwari Memorial Hospital here. He had come as a tourist from New York a few years back. But when he came to Kosani at Bageshwar he was so mesmerised by the beauty of the place that he decided to stay back. The American extended his visa again and again as he did not want to return home at the twilight of his life. He developed a liking for Indian culture, particularly Hinduism. Convinced that he would not live long he made his will some time ago to ensure that he was cremated as a Hindu.