For nearly 40 years, Jagdish Chand has helped families in Rakiraki say goodbye to their loved ones with dignity.
Known to many as Hermant, the 69-year-old became the town’s first funeral director after noticing the difficulties families faced transporting deceased relatives home from Rakiraki Hospital.
After 30 years of working as a Ministry of Health driver, he decided something had to change.
With assistance from the Fiji Development Bank, he established Vaileka Funeral Directors, bought a van and began providing hearse services.
He also learned to make coffins, working alongside an experienced joiner until he mastered the craft.
The job was not always easy. Late-night trips to remote villages brought frightening moments, including strange noises and unexplained experiences that left him shaken.
But the grief of the families he served often weighed more heavily on him than the darkness of the road.
“I would feel sad and emotional myself,” he recalled, describing the pain of arriving at homes filled with mourners.
Hermant also understood that not every family could afford a coffin.
He gave many away to those in need, sometimes accepting mats as payment and sometimes nothing at all.
Today, with his eyesight deteriorating, he has stepped back from driving and employs someone to handle deliveries.
His coffin-making business has also slowed as competition grows.
Despite the challenges of age, Hermant remains proud of his work.
Looking back, he considers it an honour to have helped generations of Rakiraki families give their loved ones a respectful final journey home.
n Full story in The Sunday Times, PAGE 21
