INDIA: Death of 119-yr-old lady celebrated in Morbi

. MORBI, Gujarat / The Times of India / Rajkot News / July 30, 2009 Death did not come as a mournful thing for this 119-year old lady, whose funeral procession saw her community members sprinkle Holi colours amid band playing foot tapping tunes. In an unprecedented celebration of death, members of Prajapati community on July 27 bid final adieu to Amrutben Nagevadiya, believed to have lived for 119 years, according to a report in Sandesh, Gujarati language newspaper. "There is no cause for mourning as it is the victory of life over death. Amrutben literally lived up to her name, which means the nectar of life. Her life was death- defying in true sense as she kept it at bay for 119 years. Therefore, our community decided to celebrate her demise in a grand way," explained community leader Damji Prajapati. No birth records were maintained by village panchayat in the late 19th century, and doubts were raised over Amrutben's age. "The matter of her age is like folklore to us. As there was no system of recording births in those times, we decided to go by our community elders' belief which states Amrutben's year of birth was 1890," he said. "Despite living to such grand old age, Amrutben led a healthy life and had never required anyone's support. She is survived by a daughter, Jaya, also an old lady living with her husband in Rajkot. Amrutben was living alone in Morbi. To her, the whole Prajapati community was her family," he added. Copyright © 2009 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd [rc]