Ambulance driver shares odd experiences
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 11 2012: "When there were landslides and road were blocked, I used to sleep besides dead bodies many nights.

As I used to transport dead bodies, I was often asked not to come near my senior officers saying that I have become impure after touching dead bodies", said Moirangthem Guno, an ambulance driver in Tribal Welfare Department.

Moirangthem Guno (56) from Langathel village, Thoubal district has been transporting sick people as well as dead bodies to and from many remote areas of the hill districts for the last 20 years.

Since the days when jeep used to be ambulance vehicle of the department, Guno has been transporting dead bodies of hill people to their native villages irrespective of whether it is day or night.

Talking with TSE, Guno said, "Most of the time, I was accompanied only by family members of the deceased when I took the dead bodies to their native villages" .

When taking dead bodies from airport and hospitals, Guno came across landslides leading to road blockade several times.

During this time, he used to sleep beside the dead bodies.

"But I didn't feel much fear neither I felt any sense of uneasiness when I touched or lifted dead bodies", he said.

However, on account of his work, senior officers of his department did not like to come into contact with him because they felt that Guno had become impure after touching dead bodies.

Bound by Meitei customs, I used to take bath every time after delivering a dead body even if it was the dead of night.

At one occasion, Guno was returning to office after delivering a dead body to a very remote village of Ukhrul district but another dead body was awaiting for delivery to Tamenglong.

Being his duty, Guno delivered the second dead body to its destination without any grudge.

In short, Guno has been transporting dead bodies every day.

The ambulance jeep was replaced by a mini-truck (407 (Tata) about four years back.

This proved much comfortable to Guno as well as family members/relatives of the deceased.

No harm was done to Guno even when he came across UG cadres at night while transporting dead bodies.

But he had to make the mandatory entry at security check-posts.

Guno is provided a sleepingroom at the office and he used to stay at the office most of the time.

Even if it was general holiday for all other employees, he remains always engaged in his work of transporting dead bodies.

As such, he sometimes, has no idea about when is the next general holiday.

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