LUCKNOW, Jan. 14 -- At the city's only postmortem house at King George's Medical University (KGMU), death arrives daily - routine, often without identity, sometimes without mourners. While the facility functions under state government arrangements to ensure procedures and basic facilities for grieving families, it is quiet gestures of ordinary citizens that are increasingly lending dignity to the unidentified dead and comfort to those waiting outside. One such effort comes from Manish Pandya, a resident of Agrasen Apartments in Hazratganj, whose life took an unexpected turn after a severe Covid-19 infection in 2020 left him unable to resume his legal practice. During months of recovery, entirely dependent on his family, Pandya began reflecting on those who pass away without anyone to stand beside them, either in life or at death. That reflection led to a personal commitment. For the past four years, Pandya has been donating 24 burial shrouds every year to the Lucknow postmortem house. These are used for bodies declared unidentified by the police after the mandatory 72-hour waiting period, when no relatives come forward to claim them. "I survived because my family was there," Pandya said. "Many people do not have that support. At least in death, they should be treated with dignity." Another gesture of compassion came from Rajesh Kumar Nigam, a clerk with the Lucknow Development Authority. His resolve was shaped by a tragedy in June 2025, when the only son of his close friend died in a road accident. While assisting with postmortem formalities, Nigam noticed families sitting for hours on the floor in intense heat, waiting for procedures to be completed. Moved by what he saw, Nigam later donated a jumbo cooler and four benches to the postmortem house, offering some relief to families arriving in shock and sorrow. "That day stayed with me," he said. The postmortem house also sees regular visits from a 42-year-old woman and her 20-year-old daughter, who come every month without revealing their identities. According to the postmortem house in-charge, Ajay Krishna Awasthi, the two once mentioned that someone very close to them had been cremated as an unidentified body. "They come quietly and rarely speak," Awasthi said. "Their presence reflects a loss they have not been able to resolve." Awasthi added that almost all essential facilities for staff and bereaved families are provided by the department as part of the state government's arrangements to run the postmortem house with efficiency and empathy....