Manmeet Bhullar’s family carries on his legacy with South Asian funeral home

Baljinder Bhullar and his son, Appy, gave a tour Wednesday of the new funeral facility they’ve just opened in Calgary. Called the Country Hills Crematorium, it’s a project that was suggested by Baljinder’s son, Manmeet Bhullar.

“This is the Sikh symbol, we call it the Khanda, and this is the Hindu symbol, Om,”  Baljinder Bhullar explained as he pointed to designs on a collection of urns. “Most of our people, they would like to take ashes back to India.”

READ MORE: Hundreds attend state memorial for Alberta MLA Manmeet Bhullar

A popular Calgary MLA and former Alberta cabinet minister, Bhullar died after being hit by a truck alongside the highway near Red Deer in November 2015.

He had pulled over and got out of his vehicle to help a driver who’d slid off the snowy road.

Watch below: Global’s past coverage of the tragic death of Manmeet Bhullar

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Baljinder recalled Manmeet talking about the need for a large funeral home catering to Calgary families originally from India and other South Asian countries.

“He said, ‘dad, we should do something like this for our community, so that we can serve the people.’ He asked me to do this.”

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“In our community it’s a big thing, we like to witness a cremation, so this room allows for up to 400 to witness a cremation,” said Appy Bhullar, Manmeet’s brother.

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His father said in South Asian cultures, there are huge crowds at funerals.

“It’s an old way of giving help to each other. We are saying, ‘you are not alone,’” Baljinder said.

Appy said there will be a memorial to his brother incorporated into a water feature in the lobby.

“We’re planning on putting a plaque in here for Manmeet. We’re actually going to have a few lines from our holy book, a few lines of his favourite prayers.”

“I think he would be very proud that his community has got their own facility,” Baljinder said.

“It’s very important. Myself, I have gone through this and I think you need something where you feel you have done everything for your loved ones.”

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