A Noteworthy scattering recently, reported with the permission of the family, was that of a Hindu scattering of ashes on a river. This site chosen was on the outskirts of Stratford upon Avon.
The Hindu faith believes in reincarnation and cremation is seen as a swift way of separating the body from the soul. Once the body has been cremated, the ashes must be sprinkled into the ocean or in waters that flow into the sea; key is that the scattering must be over moving water.
Some Hindu families will scatter ashes directly from a riverbank while others might use the services of boat-hire or perhaps a dissolving casket; the family we worked with, however, were delighted to find Aerial Ashes’ approach of scattering ashes by drone as it enables the ashes to be released where and when the family wish in a clean and dignified way.
This was the first Hindu scattering for Aerial Ashes, and we were keen to meet the family’s needs as carefully as possible. We gathered at a quiet area of riverbank and moved to our enclosure to transfer the ashes from their casket to the drone’s ash-box. The family were keen to be part of the transfer, and many took a turn at holding and pouring from the packaging. It was an emotional moment for the family who managed their faith traditions without our interference.
Once transferred, the ash-box was secured to the drone and moved to our launch area. A solemn moment, the large drone was positioned slowly and respectfully around the group and over towards the flowing water. After a moment to fly the drone upstream from the group, one family member stood close beside me ready to operate the ashes release switch on my handset when the family were ready, and while I flew the heavy drone at low-level along the river and towards the area of our group. On the count, the ashes were released over a period of just a few seconds and were clearly seen falling to the surface of the water with just a light dust visible hanging in the air.
It was a serene moment, and the drone was allowed to continue further down the river away from the family while they had some time to their own thoughts.