Death Admin

Published: Feb. 20, 2020, 2:35 p.m.

If death is inevitable, then planning for it is essential. But it can also be one of the most daunting things that you have to deal with and too many put it off until the very last minute of life.

Maleena chats to Saima in the caf\xe9 about what getting your affairs in order actually means - or the \u2018Death Admin\u2019 as she likes to call it.

They hear from Dan, who created a will writing start-up that brings the legal process into the modern digital era.

And Maleena visits the Garden\u2019s Of Peace, the UK\u2019s largest Muslim cemetery, to hear about how tens-of-thousands have balanced their British Asian identity even after they die.

Saima opened Masala Wala cafe with her family, a small Pakistani restaurant that serves her mother\u2019s recipes with love and charm. Out of nowhere, she was diagnosed with incurable lung cancer, before she even turned 30. Her life has been dramatically cut short - without treatment, she wouldn\u2019t be here today.

After dealing with her diagnosis, she talks frankly on how she\u2019s getting over dying, so she can get on with living.

Maleena, a Journalist and Producer, lost her brother when they were both teenagers, after a long battle with leukaemia. As she became an adult, her father passed away suddenly and without warning. She shares openly what it\u2019s like growing up with grief, the guilt of being left behind and how her identity as a British Asian was tested to its limits.

Together, they bond over their unique perspectives on life and death and ponder the ultimate question - why?

Join them for their chat over a cup of chai - this could be the most important podcast of your afterlife...

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this programme you can find support at the BBC Action line for bereavement:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4MmhHDSbdDmTpVJhBs2v4Py/information-and-support-bereavement