Sowri Raj and Anthony Swami Kutty

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Award Category : Frontline worker of the Year

Sowri Raj and Anthony Swami Kutty are grave diggers who work in the Kalpalli crematorium. The brothers cremated the first COVID infected body. They did this at the initial stages of the Pandemic when fear and anxiety were at the peak, and no one was willing to even go close to these bodies. The brothers set an example for other crematorium workers and instilled confidence in them to take up the job and give these bodies a dignified farewell. Each of them has cremated about 400-500 bodies till date (20-25 per day). During the initial days, their workload and duty time had increased several times while they were receiving the same monthly salary. They would start work early in the morning and end up working till about 2 am often missing meals in between. The brothers have continued to do their duty despite hardships and other financial burdens.