A Leicestershire crematorium has installed live-streaming equipment into the Pooja hall, enhancing the services it offers to Hindu and Sikh families.
Previously, only the main chapel-part of a Hindu/Sikh service was able to be live-streamed but now Great Glen Crematorium can also stream the pooja part of the service.
Picture: Westerleigh Group
Westerleigh Group, which operates the site, invested significantly in web-streaming technology when the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic placed severe restrictions on the numbers of people able to attend funerals.
The ability to stream services live meant that, while mourners were not all able to be there in person, they could watch the ceremony live. Since lockdowns were lifted, the ability to live-stream services has been maintained.
Aleksandra Harris, manager of Great Glen Crematorium, said: “The ability to live-stream has been very popular.
“Some people are not able to attend funerals for a wide variety of reasons, including their own health and mobility issues and also the fact that they may live many miles away from where the funeral of a family member or friend is taking place.
“Being able to live-stream a service may not be quite the same as being there in person, but it’s the next best thing where people are able to watch the service live and feel that they are there.
“Our Pooja hall was very well received when it opened in 2019 and has been used by Sikh and Hindu families from all over the country.
“Installing the live-streaming technology, from our partner supplier Obitus, inside our Pooja hall is another demonstration of our commitment to the continuous support of all our communities, to serve them with exceptional care.
“This new technology in the Pooja hall will now ensure virtual access to all parts of Hindu and Sikh services which we host here at Great Glen Crematorium.”
Local businessman Sailesh Raja paid to have a white marble statue of Shiva installed at Great Glen Crematorium, under a protective canopy, in 2021, and he has welcomed the availability of live-streaming technology at the shrine.
He said: “This new technology now makes it possible for those unable to attend a ceremony in person to still be able to pay their respects and offer their prayers at the same time as those who are attending, which will be a source of great comfort.”
