We are born one day, and eventually we will die one day. We may not think about it often but death is inevitable. We celebrate our birthday, why not celebrate a life well lived? If we embrace the cycle of life which includes grief, bereavement and death we will be free from the fear of death and consequently, we will have a peaceful dignified pain-free journey to the unknown world, I my words “our own home”. Every family will experience grief at a point by losing a loved one. Not everyone can cope with the grief. Consequently, depression can engulf a person leading to health problems. If we accept the reality of death as part of life, it may make the grieving process easier to cope with.
“In life, we may experience pain, suffering, and difficulty, but all of these are opportunities handed to us to help us move toward the acceptance of death.” Sogyal Rinpoche from The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. According to Dr Elizabeth Kubler Ross, there are five stages of death and dying commonly referred to by the acronym DABDA (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance). According to Swami Vivekananda “Life is another name for death and death for life. When the wave rises on the top it is life, and when it falls into the hollow it is death.” In Bhagavad Gita ” Death means only a change of garment.”
A bereaved person needs a support group in order to adapt to the situation and to grieve in a healthy way with unconditional love for self and the loved one. Sharing helps in the healing of psychosocial and spiritual pain. Sharing emotions disperses the clouds allowing the Sun to shine. So the boon company is the need of the hour in our community where we together can change the world through the event ” Bereavement Companionship” organised by our group” PEARL ” to honour and celebrate World Hospice and Palliative Care Day 2023, the theme was ” Compassionate Communities : Together for Palliative Care “. We invited persons going through bereavement to a get-together to share their feelings and emotions and their experience of caregiving.
At the end Songs by Rabindranath Tagore, Nobel laureate, recitation and guitar will sound a therapeutic effect on grieving, to be coined”Music Therapy “. Music Therapy, is a powerful aid to improve a person’s wellbeing — the quality of life, encouraging positive changes in mood and overall mental mindset. Music affects the brain. The frontal lobes decode the emotional signals created by the music. The reward centre of the brain, the nucleus accumbens can produce physical signs of pleasure.
Palliative care doesn’t stop with the demise of the patient, it goes beyond, cares for the person who has lost a loved one, passing through grief and bereavement.
A very well informed and synchronised programme by our dear Sir Dadu ( Dr Pranab Basu) . Understood a lot throughout the seminar ; moreover his ability to express his critical analysis of the entire subject matter in the most simplified language provided an extra cherry on the creme .Even the valuable insights shared by the honourable speakers of the programme came up to show the various beautiful details of life which would be always cherished throughout the symphony of life.