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Despite being a MD in neurology, Dr. Boota Chahal had to get an equivalency for an associate’s degree before he and two other partners could operate Shant Bhavan funeral home. Photo by Edward Smith

published on November 22, 2019 - 2:59 PM
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As Dr. Boota Singh Chahal speaks of the funeral home he and his two business partners established in 2013, a mariachi trio plays in the background in remembrance of a loved one lost. Families and friends of the dead gather as the horns play beside the casket where family mourns.

Shant Bhavan, also known as All-Faiths Funeral Home, prides itself as catering to those from all cultures. But it was not always this way. It took its own journey of self-discovery as a group of three Punjabi men came together to create a place where those in their community could go somewhere familiar to honor the dead. The lessons the leadership at Shant Bhavan learned in six years of operation translated into understanding the needs of other cultures as the funeral home prepares to undergo a project of demolition and new construction to serve other ethnic groups in Fresno.

 

Fulfilling a need

Among US metropolitan areas from 2013 to 2017, Fresno ranks No. 27 for immigrant populations from India at 15,000, according to the Migration Policy Institute, citing Census Data. In the Central Valley, it’s safe to say that a majority of those migrants hail from the Punjab region of Northern India.

Finding services that cater to the specific needs of a different community can be difficult for newly arrived people.

“We don’t have any funeral home for our Indian community,” Chahal said.

For the decades before Shant Bhavan, Fresno’s Tinkler Funeral Home & Crematory largely served the Indian populations. Its crematory served the traditional Indian funeral rite of burning the body.

TInkler hosted many funerals, but for many of the older population, language was still a barrier, Chahal said. Many didn’t have the confidence to ask for special accommodations their loved one may have wanted.

Oftentimes, the family of the dead will dress and bathe the body themselves.

“The aim was to service everyone, but specifically more toward the Indian community so they feel a little comfortable, a little more at home,” Chahal said.

 

Learning curve

But no one from Chahal’s group had any experience operating a funeral home. They needed permits to build, permits for the crematory as well as a licensed funeral director.

“We don’t have anyone who can tell us what to do, where to go,” Chahal said. “There is no school or any class you can take that can teach you what to do.”

He made multiple trips to Sacramento and attended courses from the California Funeral Directors Association for guidance, but state law requires at least an Associate’s Degree for a license.

Himself an MD in neurology, his degree from India didn’t translate.

Chahal had to reach out to his university in India to show that he was a doctor in good standing before he could hold the license.

From buying the land to getting the permit, the whole process took four years.

 

Branching out

Shant Bhavan now sits in Fowler right off of Highway 99, strategically located within 20 minutes of the different gurdwaras — or Sikh worship centers. And in the expanse of farm fields, it has the space to accommodate what can often be in the hundreds in attendance, said Naindeep Singh, executive director of the Jakara Movement, which began in Fresno in 2000 as a conference for Sikh youth.

“Large communities end up showing up, especially during funerals,” Singh said. Among the first arrivals during the first major wave of Punjabis to California were large numbers of professionals in health care, like Chahal. They would often help in bringing others to the country, and so when those patrons would pass on, multitudes would attend in honor of the dead.
Don WInkley, funeral director for Shant Bhavan, said they have hosted more than a thousand mourners for certain funerals.

But with the name Shant Bhavan, people assumed it was only for Indian people, said Chahal.

“That’s why we said we have to change something so they don’t feel like that, that’s it’s strictly for the Indian community.”

In 2016, they added the name All-Faiths to the business. That year they also hired Winkley — a veteran of the funeral business since 1984.

They also changed the signage on Highway 99 to reflect the renewed focus of inclusion for Shant Bhavan. Since doing so, the result has been successful.

The first year they did 72 services, and by the middle of 2019, they’ve already done 89 services, on track for 180, Winkley said.

 

Hmong traditions

The name All-Faiths has also prompted the ownership to undertake a new venture to cater for even more diverse communities.

They’re currently taking bids on demolition of a garage to build a 4,000 square foot chapel with a kitchen that can accommodate the sometimes 72-hour long funeral services Hmong families have for loved ones.

“They’re here for three or four days, constant, and they need a kitchen, and we didn’t have it. So that’s kind of what brought that on,” Winkley said.

“It’s not a one-day or a four-hour event like we see in the mainstream,” said Blong Xiong, former Fresno City Council member and county supervisor, who himself has spoken at a number of funerals. “Here, it’s intensive and involves a lot of cultural activity.”

During the three-day event that goes to all hours of the night, families serve food to visitors paying their respects. For some, services including chanting, prayers and a shaman performing spirit calling. Services reach into the thousands, even booking at places like the Fresno Fairgrounds, Xiong said.

To service the diverse communities throughout the Central Valley, all with their own unique needs, Chahal said he wants All-Faiths to be more than just a funeral home for a certain culture.

“It is not only for Indians. It is not only for one specific part. Anyone can come and use it,” said Chahal.


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