Some 19 years ago, Ayub Ahmed was going to Gundlupet in a KSRTC bus to purchase a car, the driver stopped the vehicle near Bandipalya where a crowd had gathered around a dead body lying on the road. Ten hours later, when he was returning to Mysuru in his new car, the body was still there. A policeman standing near the corpse said he could not find anybody to shift the body to the morgue. That was the first unclaimed body Ahmed had buried. 
In an interview he shared, “When anybody buys a car, they take their friends or relatives on a drive. But I transported a dead body to the mortuary in mine,” 
Shifting unidentified and unclaimed bodies is not a coveted job. But 38-year-old Ayub Ahmed, not only shifts such bodies voluntarily to the mortuary, he also takes them to the burial ground and lays them to rest after the police declares them unidentified and unclaimed. He transports dead bodies in his own vehicle. Interestingly, he does not charge money from poor people. Along with recovery of dead bodies, Ayub also performs the last rites based on the identity of the deceased. Ayub has performed the last rites of thousands of dead bodies where relatives are nowhere on the scene. He has been doing this selfless act since the last 19 years and this has earned him the name of ‘Body Miyan’.
Ayub’s work survives largely on donations. However, he is content with what he gets and does the best he can with the resources at hand.
What I like about this real life story is the selfless service by an ordinary man, his motivation to help others in need without the thought of receiving any reward or repayment in return. It is one thing to drop some money into the bowl of a homeless person; it is quite another to devote one’s entire life to volunteering for such noble causes. Helping one person might not change the world, but it could change the world for one person. And Ayub is doing just that by helping the dead pass from this world with respect and dignity. 
This post is part of the We Are the World Blogfest, a monthly event created by Damyanti Biswas and Belinda Witzenhausen to showcase stories of hope and light. This month I’m helping out as a co-host, along with extraordinary bloggers Simon Falk, Lynn Hallbrooks, Eric Lahti, Damyanti Biswas and Guilie Castillo—please hop over to check out their WATWB posts as well as from other WATWB participants for a dose of feel-good to last you a whole month. You’ll be happy you did!
Click HERE to check out the intention and rules of the blogfest and feel free to sign up at any time. You are always welcome!
32 Responses
This man is a hero Shilpa. He will forever be blessed – he is so selfless to have taken on this mission -thank you for sharing it with us
Agree, Ayub is a real life hero and his story truly moved me. Thanks for dropping by, Susan!
“The Unbelievable Story Of One Man, 19 Yrs, And Over 10,000 Dead Bodies” https://www.kenfolios.com/page/view-post?id=720
Humanity alive
Dying itself can be an undignified process if you have a slow and lingering death. And to die unloved, unwanted and abandoned must be the worst kind of way to leave the world . No praise is enough for the selfless task that Body Mian is doing .
True! How sad and tragic it must be to have no one around you when you leave this world. Ayub is doing a commendable job of giving these abandoned people the respect and dignity in death. Thanks for reading, Sunita!
What an inspiring story. Such a kind and compassionate person, giving respect to those who he knows cannot pass it forward – maybe they ensure it’s passed forward for him into the next life. Thank you for sharing the good news, Shilpa.
Well said. Ayub is indeed a shining example of selfless service. Hopefully the good he us doing, comes back to him!! Thanks for dropping by and writing for this edition of WATWB, Norah!
How blessed is this man who feels for the dead like no other can!
Thank you for sharing this story, Shilpa!
True, he is doing such a noble thing!!
God bless a man like him.I have never read about such a gesture or Selfless act of kindness.Where did you get to know about him,Shilpa?
Yes, may God bless him.
I got to know about him through Google, our new God! 😀
So many people just pass by with shaking heads, but he took it upon himself to do what was needed. He truly is a hero and an example to all of us. Thank you for sharing this story!
Such kindness and compassion – and to continue to offer this service for 19 years! There is much to praise and be grateful for, and I’m glad you brought this story to our attention.
very courageous and daring is Ayub, one needs a lot of strength from within to do this kind of work. May God bless him for the good work; and thank you for sharing shilpa.
These people are like earth angels. Beautiful share Shilpa 🙂
He is a living God.
What a blessing to have people like Ayub in this world. Thank you for sharing his selfless work with us, Shilpa.
In a world where so many are uncomfortable with death, or unwilling to help a stranger, this man overcomes both obstacles out of the goodness of his heart. What a great story to share! Thanks, Shilpa!
What an amazing gem of a person gifting the world and changing it through his unconditional selflessness and love. So good to know about him today, thanks for sharing this story Shilpa!
Beautiful, beautiful story. The world needs more people like Ayub Ahmed!
Thanks for sharing this, Shilpa—and for hopping over to Quiet Laughter earlier 🙂 So glad you enjoyed the story. Happy weekend!
He is doing something that many would not have the mental and/or physical strength to do. Blessings be upon him. Thanks for sharing and for being a part of #WATWB.
Some actions makes you speechless. Mr Ayub’s work is one such! A heartfelt “Namaskar” to the real hero.
What a selfless man. Who would want to take up a task considered unpalatable by most people.
What a wonderful man Thank you for sharing this Shilpa
Amazingly selfless. There are many people like that out there but we seldom hear about them in the din of ugly news. Ayub is creating some wonderful karma for himself and probably inspiring a few others to do such gestures themselves.
Hi Shilpa – what a wonderful story to read about .. Ayub is indeed a selfless and thoughtful individual – the people he allows to transition must be so blessed and can be at peace. He too will be at peace – all the people he meets and sees are blessed to be a part of his life … amazing! Cheers Hilary
It’s amazing that such people exist. And kudos to you for sharing news about such heroes with the rest of us. As they say, selfless deeds are the best. And I hope Ayub finds happiness always and stays blessed.
It takes real love to bury a very poor person who has no one to thank you. Ayub must have a truly profound love for the dignity of people in their life and in their death. May his story be told long after he is buried with dignity. Thanks for sharing, Shilpa, and for all you do for our WATWB community. It is a delight to have you with us.
Such selflessness is commendable for this is not a very palatable job. It takes a lot of heart to do this and 99% would shirk from taking on something this charitable. Hats off to this man and thanks for sharing his story Shilpa!
He is an amazing person who has worked for humanity from his bottom of his heart with out any religious differences. He is the real masiha for unclaimed bodies. I want to add some more of his achievements he has started a home for homeless whre 5 homeless have been taking shelter they are from different religion. I know him personally his aim is to start a free ambulance service with ICU facility in it. ICU on wheels where he could serve the needy and save some lives. If anyone can come forward and help him In raising funds for his noble cause would be appreciated. Just wanted to add some points on his work. Humanity alive (insaniyat zindabaad) in his own words. Thans for sharing the wonderful story of my friend. Ayub ahmed ji masiha of unclaimed bodies.
“The Unbelievable Story Of One Man, 19 Yrs, And Over 10,000 Dead Bodies” https://www.kenfolios.com/page/view-post?id=720
Humanity alive
Thanks for the valuable information. Some of them were unknown. Keep your article flooded with such true information