Edinburgh resident Vineet Lal has expressed his thanks to William Purves Funeral Directors for going above and beyond to organise his parents’ funerals held six years apart.
Vineet’s mother, Saroj Lal, passed away in 2020 during the Coronavirus pandemic. Despite the restrictions placed on funeral services, Vineet believes William Purves did everything possible to create a special and meaningful event.
This included commissioning a videographer to capture the day on film and organising the funeral procession to pass locations of personal significance, including the Edinburgh Hindu Mandir, on the journey from the family home to Mortonhall Crematorium.
The Edinburgh funeral director safely stored Saroj’s ashes throughout the pandemic, after which they were returned to the family for an immersion ceremony held at Edinburgh’s Ganga Ghat.
The ceremony held particular significance for the family; in the 1990s, Saroj championed the establishment of Ganga Ghat on the River Almond in Edinburgh, marking the first designated location in Scotland for Hindu and Sikh communities to perform Asthi Visarjan – the ritual scattering of a deceased loved one’s ashes into flowing water.
Vineet said of his mother’s funeral: “Despite the restrictions posed by the pandemic, William Purves delivered a memorable, personal funeral.
“The team suggested creative ways to celebrate Saroj’s life and personality throughout the ceremony and organised a videographer to film much of the day for future generations to look back on.
“Their support leading up to the event, on the day and long after went above and beyond what I could have expected of a funeral director.”
When his father, Amrit, died in 2026, Vineet turned to the independent funeral director once again. Having captured recordings and video clips of his father talking about his life in the intervening years, Vineet wanted to repurpose the material to present at the funeral, effectively allowing Amrit to tell his own story – and say his own goodbye.
William Purves Funeral Directors obliged the request, pulling the clips together into a presentation, stitching it with music and streaming it during the funeral. Recordings of Saroj were also incorporated, as were many of the couple’s accomplishments and cherished moments.
The clips were presented just a few feet away from Amrit who lay at rest in an open casket for Antim Darshan – a traditional practice for Eastern cultures. This meant all guests had the chance to pay their respects in their own way.
Vineet thanked the funeral director for their efforts: “A huge credit to everybody at William Purves for rising to the occasion, providing technical expertise and team support for both the home service and cremation, and guiding me through each step so that we could transform my vision into a reality.
“What started as an idea became, after much editing and rehearsing, a life-changing experience not just for me but for everyone who attended the funeral. We gave it our all and I cannot thank William Purves, and everyone else involved, enough for the work they put in to help achieve this dream.”
Andrew Purves, William Purves COO and Funeral Director, commented: “We were honoured that Vineet chose William Purves to organise the funerals of both his mother and father.
“Placing your faith in a funeral director is a deeply personal act of trust, and one which we do not take lightly. It was a privilege to help realise Vineet’s vision and celebrate the remarkable stories of both Saroj and Amrit.”
Vineet added: “My parents’ funerals have given me an important insight into the funeral industry, and the compassion, empathy and emotional intelligence of those who work within it.
I am hugely impressed by the way that they carry themselves, and I’m so grateful to the funeral directors, embalmers and wider team that cared for my parents.”
