Kendrapara: Family members fulfilled the wish of a septuagenarian by donating his body to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar, for research purposes.

Khetrabasi Barick, 78, a farmer from Baruna village in Rajkanika block of Kendrapara district, died of lung ailments recently.

Respecting the will of Khetrabasi, his kin donated the body to the AIIMS.

The noble gesture has won appreciation from various quarters.

"We are in a state mourning. At the same time, we are satisfied that we could keep his last wish. My uncle was large-hearted and always stayed away from conservative traditions. He had wanted his body to be used for anatomical and medical research after death," said Ashok Barick, the nephew of Khetrabasi.

Seven months ago, Khetrabasi had executed a legal will and pledged to donate his body for medical research, Ashok said.

"We have kept his pledge. After his death, AIIMS authorities took possession of the body after completingt legal formalities. As family members we gave consent to it," he said.

A month before the demise, he had told his family members about the body donation deed. He had convinced them that it was a noble thing to do. To keep Khetrabasi's wish, Hindu rituals were not performed.

The expenses that would have been incurred on rituals would be spent on the poor and needy, Ashok said.

Hospital sources said Khetrabasi's body had been preserved for anatomical study.