HE has lost count of the dead bodies he’s seen. “At least 9,500,” says Dhruva Chaliha, in a matter-of-fact tone. No, he hasn’t fought a war, nor is he employed at the state morgue. He is, in fact, a 60-year-old retired Assam government employee, with a reputation of helping people tide over an awkward moment in life, the moment of death in a family.