KATHMANDU: Nepali national Sapana Roka Magar has been enlisted in BBC’s 100 inspiring and influential women from around the globe for 2020.
Sapana has been included in the list in recogtion of her involvement in an organization that cremates unclaimed bodies.
The bodies of those who have died from Covid-19 are strictly managed by the Nepali army.
Sapana’s organization retrieves abandoned bodies from the street or mortuaries and arranges for them to be taken to hospital for post-mortem examinations.
If the body remains unclaimed for 35 days, the organization brings it to the crematorium and performs the Dagbatti rituals, which, in Hindi culture, are usually performed by the son of the deceased.
The BBC has revealed its list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world for 2020.
This year 100 Women is highlighting those who are leading change and making a difference during these turbulent times.
The list includes Sanna Marin, who leads Finland’s all-female coalition government, Michelle Yeoh, star of the new Avatar and Marvel films and Sarah Gilbert, who heads the Oxford University research into a coronavirus vaccine.
And in an extraordinary year – when countless women around the world have made sacrifices to help others – one name on the 100 Women list has been left blank as a tribute.
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