Varanasi - Facing death without fear | DW Documentary

In India, Varanasi is considered a holy city. Millions of Hindus believe that people who die here, in this city on the Ganges, are lucky. Because if they are cremated here, they can break the eternal cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

Director Oliver Mayer grew up in a world in which most people are influenced by the Christian promise of eternal life. In Varanasi, he wants to understand why it is considered salvation to escape a cycle of rebirth.

He himself has already had to come to terms with death: A few years ago, his mother died, and it took him a long time to come to terms with his grief. He is fascinated by the fact that the end of life is not necessarily seen as negative in Hinduism. He wants to know how people manage to face death pragmatically and without fear - indeed, almost looking forward to it.

Mayer visits a very special hospice for the dying in Varanasi. Here, he encounters a different, more relaxed approach to death. He meets extraordinary people. They include the priests and relatives who care for the dying, workers from lower castes who cremate the dead and children like nine-year-old Kajal, who poses for photos dressed as the deity Shiva to earn money to support herself, her mother and her little brother.

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