Country’s first crematorium caretaker from city felicitated

In their midst, standing out from the rest, was an unassuming 34-year-old from Chennai —Praveena Solomon, the first woman in the country to manage a crematorium.

She was one among 112 women to be felicitated by President Ram Nath Kovind at an event to recognise their achievements, ‘First Ladies: exceptional women who transcended barriers to be the first in their fields’. 

“It was a pleasure meeting those women. It was a proud moment for me to share the platform with women like Aishwarya Rai, singer Chitra, etc. We all spent an hour together, discussing our journeys. It was a fulfilling experience for me,” said Praveena, a mother of two. Her husband Solomon, is a taxi driver. 

Praveena became the first woman to manage a crematorium, a line of work shunned by women, when she was appointed the caretaker of the city Corporation’s crematorium on New Avadi Road. 

The facility is maintained by the NGO, Indian Community Welfare organisation (ICWO) since 2014. When the organisation was looking for women for the job after winning the contract to maintain a few of the crematoria under the Greater Chennai Corporation, Praveena, who had been with the NGO for a few years by then, was the only one to volunteer. 

“It was challenging. When I joined, the 4.5-acre Velankadu crematorium was poorly maintained. I ensured that washrooms, sign boards, seating arrangements and other facilities were in place. We also have a compost pit,” says Praveena. “We ensure that the needs of the grieving families are met.” 

Such recognitions, she adds, would encourage her to work harder. The First Ladies is an effort initiated by Union Minister for Women and Child Development,Maneka Gandhi, to recognise women who managed to break the glass ceiling. 

The other recipients of the award were Deepa Malik, the nation’s first woman Paralympic medallist, and Ayesha Aziz, the country’s youngest pilot, among others.