Live streaming death for kin in US, Canada

CHANGANASSERY:  It is considered a blessing if you can be near the death bed of your beloved. For those who always struggle to reach the death bed of an aged mother or father, here is a solution, ideated partly in US and Canada, but executed fully in Changanassery, in Kottayam district. Welcome to the virtual world where death as it embraces your near and dear ones can be shot live and uploaded on the web for live streaming for those who can’t make it to the deathbed.Two of the seven sons of 84-year-old Chinnamma Chacko, thus virtually watched from their homes in US and Canada as their mother breathed her last on Tuesday and on Wednesday they took part, again in the virtual world, in her funeral rites at the Parayil St Mary’s Malankara Catholic Church here.“Our two elder brothers - based in Philadelphia and Canada - had recently come to see our mother as she was not keeping good health,” said Sibichan, sixth of the seven Naluparayil brothers.  He was the brain behind this novel idea which may well become a trend in a land dotted with children staying in far-flung parts of the globe and often unable to attend the funeral of their parents.“The live coverage started from Tuesday morning. All my relatives witnessed the last moments of our mother. They were virtually with her when she took her last breath,” Sibichan said.The relatives who were abroad, hung on to the screen as the coverage continued till Wednesday evening. “I felt like having personally taken part in the whole function,” said the eldest brother N C Jacob to Express over the phone from Canada. “Even if I had flown down, I couldn’t have witnessed the last moments of our beloved mother,” he said.More than 20 families who are relatives of the Naluparayil family could witness the entire proceedings online as they were sent emails about the upcoming coverage of Chinnamma’s death and the  ensuing funeral. They were also given the user ID and the password to enter the website.