After school, a teacher from Šiauliai plunges into the family business: we will see the real impact of the pandemic in the spring

“We have to follow proven traditions that have developed over the centuries. Here’s a glimpse: what is most important to a young man today? He wants to go the simplest way. The urns, the columbariums and the desire to Spreading the ashes of the dead at sea or blowing them downwind are becoming increasingly popular in the funeral business. Understandably, young people are always looking for easier ways: cremating their loved ones and spreading the ashes into the sea. or other corners of nature. In my opinion, this is quite superficial. One has to understand one thing: we are all mortal, we are all on the same path. On the one hand, it is very beautiful when relatives do it at the request of the deceased , but on the other hand – if after 10, 20 or 50 years grandchildren, great-grandchildren, relatives seek a place to honor the deceased, do you want to come, pray, honor the memory, and those places will not? In this case, it is lost the close connection Ana, the roots are dispersed and the memory of the loved one disappears with new traditions. I believe that it is necessary to have a place of honor for loved ones, an opportunity to come to the place, to remember, to stay or even to cry in silence ”, points out the experienced master of monuments T. Gulbinas.

According to him, spreading the ashes of loved ones to the wind is a responsibility.

“Today is very convenient; you no longer have to worry about graves, but it is a myopic approach. Lost history, a place of remembrance for the family, no more names, dates of birth and death, no more place to come during the big holidays. What if we all start throwing the ashes of the dead into the sea? Where are the ecological aspects? In nature, we must be cautious, ideally we come into the world and as we find it and leave it, T reasoned Gulbin on changing burial trends.

Sacred place

The interviewer believes that a person’s thinking, attitude, and behavior depend on their age. Young people no longer hand out phones, they need a good phone, the right clothes and the right appearance. Mature people take care of the family, build houses, buy a family car. Older people: they already have a home, children are growing up, telephones are no longer interesting. Then you start to think about the meaning of life, history, taking care to perpetuate your memory and that of your family. At the crossroads of mature life, it becomes important that the chapels of your parents, grandparents, and ancestors are beautifully arranged, cared for, reminding family members that they no longer exist on this earth.

“In the cemetery, people meet, communicate, reflect on their lives in silence and pray. And flowers are already a matter of taste. Some need more, others who have less time ask for granite slabs to cover everything, but for all graves they are a sacred place. This is especially understandable for older people who are beginning to think about their beautiful cultural outing for a well-deserved vacation, ”said T. Gulbinas.

Taking charge of the experience is easier

“The production of monuments for me is a continuation of the family business. From a very young age, I have seen how granite is processed, what technology is used to process granite, how it is worked in cemeteries and other jobs. At first I only helped my parents, then I became more and more involved in this activity. I have been producing monuments for 15 years. Granite slabs for the production of monuments come from Sweden, Finland, Karelia. Marble: from Italy, Turkey and other countries. Granite is purchased in blocks that travel by boat for 1-2 months. There are no stone mines in Lithuania, but large boulders, which can be cut and polished, are suitable, ”said a teacher from Šiauliai about his involvement in the production of monuments.

The interviewee said that it is much easier to take ownership of the family business experience, keep working than to create, test, experiment and make mistakes. Especially since he’s been in the monument-making business since he was young.

Various stone works are well mastered: granite processing, letter forging on a granite monument, granite polishing. His ideas on how to uniquely decorate or arrange the grave of a loved one have adorned many cemeteries in Lithuanian cities.

The family business strictly refuses to trade in Chinese monuments, no monument is made of Chinese stone.

“The place of perpetuation of the rest of the deceased has been created for many years. It has to be durable, endure for decades. We only work with materials of high quality and durability ”, the teacher shared his experience.

I work in school and leisure in business.

The interlocutor who works as a teacher produces monuments in his spare time. But how do you manage to reconcile seemingly incompatible activities? Have you ever considered going down the path of a scientist, teaching at the university?

According to T. Gulbinas, after defending his doctoral thesis, the path of a scientist is complicated: the community of scientists is unique, highly specialized and there is a lot of competition. To gain recognition from the academic community, you have to work hard and hard, read the papers of foreign researchers, travel to various conferences abroad, and prepare scientific publications in a foreign language.

“I am from Šiauliai. I observed several changes in Šiauliai University. It is now a department of Vilnius University, Šiauliai Academy. I have seen how the excellent and educated people who have worked here for many years have had to say goodbye to their job because Due to the decrease in the number of students, small charges do not allow them to receive an adequate salary. I chose not to work as a teacher, but to work in a school. In my free time from lessons, I look for inspiration for the shapes of the monuments, new possibilities of decoration for cemeteries. The production of monuments is our family business, which is developed emphasizing the quality of work. The peak of the season is summer, so I keep up to date with everything. I combine both activities “, – T. Gulbinas opened up about her work at school and free time at her business.

So far, no sales growth is felt

We asked if the notable increase in mortality in the area, especially in the face of a pandemic, affected his family’s business.

“The economic situation after these shocks can affect our business. That the number of deaths is increasing is a fact, and we still do not feel the increase in orders and sales. The business is seasonal. In winter, we do not work. Everything will be clear in spring, ”the interlocutor opened about possible threats to the economy.

The professor also shared relentless statistics: “I don’t have precise data, but as far as I was interested, more than 2.5 thousand people have been confirmed in Šiauliai so far. In the cases of this terrible disease, the pandemic has claimed about 70 lives. If before there were 3-4 funerals a day, now it is 6-8. A special peak of the disease: November, December. Businesses stop in the area due to illness. If a person dies from a coronavirus, excavators take extra precautions. Everyone is afraid of the virus, everyone is safe, “said the master of monuments about the outbreak of the disease.

According to him, despite increasingly sad statistics and numbers, you can never know what the economic situation will be. It is affected by many factors: the state of the company, the unemployment rate, how quickly the most depleted sectors of the pandemic will recover, and other factors. Many business sectors have been paralyzed during the quarantine, mourning and firing of workers. People may not have additional funds to manage the graves of their loved ones. The master dedicated to the production of monuments assured that he would see the impact of the disease on his business in spring and summer.

“We will have to apply to the business, find solutions. We are considering offering our clients the opportunity to pay for services rendered in installments, ”said the businessman about possible solutions.

The style of monuments is changing

The man who made monuments for fifteen years said that the style of monuments also changes over time.

The older ones asked for roundings, artistic excavations, crosses, waves, they asked for rounded corners.

Now leaning towards modesty, modesty, the rectangular shape of the monument is gaining popularity. Impressive (non-traditional) monuments are built less, people choose massive monuments less often. It is less and less common to take notes such as: “Sad children”; “Sad relatives”.

The interlocutor revealed that everyone contributes their thoughts when they come to order a product. Often times, especially if clients are not confronted with this area, they express wishes that go beyond opportunities. You have to show, explain, advise. Rubble, paving is not the best option for those who do not have much time for the maintenance of tombs, and granite slab – a long-term conceptual solution. There are orders to make a small table and for pets.