Obituary and Shradhanjali Advertisement Samples
Conventional formats for death announcements, shradhanjali and condolence notices, and what each should contain.
Onward Advertising
An obituary advertisement serves a practical purpose alongside a personal one: it informs a wider community of a bereavement and communicates the details of prayer meetings to people the family cannot contact individually.
The four common formats
Death announcement. Published immediately, informing the community of the passing and giving details of last rites or the prayer meeting. This is the most time-sensitive of the four.
Shradhanjali. A tribute published on the day of, or shortly after, the prayer meeting. Usually carries a photograph.
Condolence message. Published by an organisation, colleagues or an association rather than the immediate family.
Anniversary tribute. Published on a death anniversary, commonly the first.
What to include
- Full name of the deceased, and any name they were widely known by
- Date of birth and date of passing
- A photograph, for display formats
- Names of surviving family members
- Details of the prayer meeting — date, time and venue
- A brief tribute message
Same-day publication
Most newspapers accept bereavement notices up to an early-afternoon deadline for next-day publication, and some can accommodate same-day insertion in later editions. Call directly rather than emailing when the timing is urgent.
Format choice
A photograph requires a display advertisement — text classifieds cannot carry images. Given that most families want a photograph in a shradhanjali, the display format is the usual choice for that category, while a straightforward death announcement often works well as a text classified.
