Masaan Index Updated Repack -

While no RBI bulletin tracks the Masaan index , grassroots journalists and social workers have long documented its trajectory. In 2001, a standard funeral bundle (approx. 300–400 kg of wood for a full adult cremation) might cost ₹1,500–2,000. By 2014, that figure had climbed to ₹4,000–5,000. Today, in many parts of the Gangetic plain, the same bundle costs between ₹8,000 and ₹12,000. For context, the monthly per capita income in these regions often hovers below ₹6,000. This means that a single cremation can cost more than two months of a family’s total earnings.

The "Masaan Index" (a term often used metaphorically in social analysis) measures the friction between traditional constraints and the pursuit of individual liberty. Set against the "burning ghats" of Varanasi, the film explores these intersections through four primary lenses: masaan index updated