The village of Majiwali, which lies on the outskirts of Vasai, with a population of 3,000, has running water, electricity, housing for all and is free of open defecation. It is a good village for the living, but is devoid of a resting place for its dead. The lack of a crematorium forced villagers, who have been fighting apathy, to perform the last rites of a 77-year-old resident on the side of a road last week.

Majiwali is located on the Parol-Bhiwandi road Vasai. The villagers have been waiting for decades to get a proper crematorium, but are nowhere close to having one even now. Prior to last week, they would go near a stream for cremation. But now, they have been denied access to the only road that leads to it, as it falls under private property.