FiendishThingie
Dec 06, 2001, 11:38 AM
Harrison's Ashes a Mystery
by Josh Grossberg
Dec 5, 2001, 1:15 PM PT
It seems George Harrison remains as secretive in death as he was in life.
It has been nearly a week after the Quiet Beatle's passing, but the mystery over his final resting place continues to grow as officials in India are now denying widespread reports that his family was planning to scatter Harrison's ashes in his spiritual homeland.
"I think the whole story is a creation of the media," Vikram Singh--the inspector general of police in the city of Varanasi, the supposed destination of Harrison's ashes--tells Reuters. "You are running a wild goose chase."
Representatives of the Hare Krishna movement in Varanasi said last weekend that Harrison's wife, Olivia, and his son, Dhani, would arrive in the Asian subcontinuent early Tuesday to disperse the rock legend's ashes in the sacred Ganges River.
(Per Hindu tradition, relatives usually sprinkle the ashes of their loved one over the surface of the Ganges before submersing the urn gently into the water.)
But Singh says the local government had not been informed about Harrison's last rites, as is customary. "As far as the administration is concerned, I don't think there's anything happening because normally any important people would seek official assistance even for a private ritual," said Singh.
He also said officials have received no information regarding the musician's family arriving on any special flights or scheduled airliners from Delhi or Bombay, the main connecting airports.
Even more mysterious, though, is the about-face of Hare Krishna spokesman Arajit Das, who just days ago confirmed that Harrison's family was on their way to attend a Tuesday morning ceremony along the Ganges. He now says he heard wrong.
"Whatever I can tell you is on the basis of newspaper reports because there's no communication either from our ISKCON [International Society for Krishna Consciousness] offices in Delhi or London, who are equally clueless about any plans to bring Harrison's ashes to Varanasi for immersion," Das tells Reuters.
To compound the intrigue, a government official in Varanasi's state of Uttar Pradesh says the ceremony may have already taken place.
Harrison's family and friends have not commented except to say that they held a private funeral service hours after his death last Thursday afternoon.
The 58-year-old Harrison died last Thursday in Los Angeles after a long battle with cancer. According to his death certificate, his body was cremated within hours after his passing, per Hindu tradition. Harrison had converted to the faith in the '60s and became an adherent of the Hare Krishnas, a sect of the religion.
Two Hare Krishna representatives reportedly performed Hindu rites on Harrison's ashes in London, and were said to be accompanying Olivia and Dhani to India.
As a show of gratitude, Harrison left nearly 10 percent of his fortune--valued at more than $300 million--to the Hare Krishnas, according to London's Times. The newspaper reports the money will be distributed by the International Society of Krishna Consciousness to each of its temples around the world.
While the majority of his estate will go to his wife and son, Harrison also donated a portion of his future earnings from his music to the Krishnas. Millions of dollars are also being given to British-based charities that aid impoverished children in Africa.
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"There was never a time when I did not exist, nor you.
Nor will there be any future when we cease to be." Sri Krishna
by Josh Grossberg
Dec 5, 2001, 1:15 PM PT
It seems George Harrison remains as secretive in death as he was in life.
It has been nearly a week after the Quiet Beatle's passing, but the mystery over his final resting place continues to grow as officials in India are now denying widespread reports that his family was planning to scatter Harrison's ashes in his spiritual homeland.
"I think the whole story is a creation of the media," Vikram Singh--the inspector general of police in the city of Varanasi, the supposed destination of Harrison's ashes--tells Reuters. "You are running a wild goose chase."
Representatives of the Hare Krishna movement in Varanasi said last weekend that Harrison's wife, Olivia, and his son, Dhani, would arrive in the Asian subcontinuent early Tuesday to disperse the rock legend's ashes in the sacred Ganges River.
(Per Hindu tradition, relatives usually sprinkle the ashes of their loved one over the surface of the Ganges before submersing the urn gently into the water.)
But Singh says the local government had not been informed about Harrison's last rites, as is customary. "As far as the administration is concerned, I don't think there's anything happening because normally any important people would seek official assistance even for a private ritual," said Singh.
He also said officials have received no information regarding the musician's family arriving on any special flights or scheduled airliners from Delhi or Bombay, the main connecting airports.
Even more mysterious, though, is the about-face of Hare Krishna spokesman Arajit Das, who just days ago confirmed that Harrison's family was on their way to attend a Tuesday morning ceremony along the Ganges. He now says he heard wrong.
"Whatever I can tell you is on the basis of newspaper reports because there's no communication either from our ISKCON [International Society for Krishna Consciousness] offices in Delhi or London, who are equally clueless about any plans to bring Harrison's ashes to Varanasi for immersion," Das tells Reuters.
To compound the intrigue, a government official in Varanasi's state of Uttar Pradesh says the ceremony may have already taken place.
Harrison's family and friends have not commented except to say that they held a private funeral service hours after his death last Thursday afternoon.
The 58-year-old Harrison died last Thursday in Los Angeles after a long battle with cancer. According to his death certificate, his body was cremated within hours after his passing, per Hindu tradition. Harrison had converted to the faith in the '60s and became an adherent of the Hare Krishnas, a sect of the religion.
Two Hare Krishna representatives reportedly performed Hindu rites on Harrison's ashes in London, and were said to be accompanying Olivia and Dhani to India.
As a show of gratitude, Harrison left nearly 10 percent of his fortune--valued at more than $300 million--to the Hare Krishnas, according to London's Times. The newspaper reports the money will be distributed by the International Society of Krishna Consciousness to each of its temples around the world.
While the majority of his estate will go to his wife and son, Harrison also donated a portion of his future earnings from his music to the Krishnas. Millions of dollars are also being given to British-based charities that aid impoverished children in Africa.
------------------
"There was never a time when I did not exist, nor you.
Nor will there be any future when we cease to be." Sri Krishna