Praying For Death - “Each dead body earned me my daily bread. Fear was a luxury I could not afford.” Introduction Praying for Death is a documentary film that will illustrate the story of Gouri Amma of Khargapur, India. Gouri is a widow who, after her husband’s untimely death, takes on the normally male-held tradition of cremating the dead. Her husband Kakalu was the local dome, or cremator, for employees of the Bengal-Nagpur Railway in the Midnapore district of Kharagpur. Through Gouri’s faith and determination, she struggles to support herself and three daughters against what seem like overwhelming odds. With the unexpected help of a local attorney, and the community in which Gouri lives, a neglected crematorium area is eventually transformed to a place worthy of respect and admiration. Gouri herself gains the recognition she deserves for her role as the local domni. The story will weave elements of social and economic class struggles, religious beliefs and traditions, changing roles in society, and the legal system in rural Southern India. Praying for Death will be a snapshot of rural Indian life at the crossroads of change, using the documentary film genre as the venue for social commentary. As with any ethnographic study, the film will explore what is unique in the lives of its characters, and at the same time help to bridge cultural notions and reveal what is universal in the human experience. Themes of current interest that will be explored are: