Noted industrialist Ratan Tata died on October 9 at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai. He was 86. Known for his visionary leadership and deep commitment to social responsibility, Ratan Tata not only transformed the Tata Group into a global powerhouse but also impacted millions of lives in major ways. and small. Maharashtra will grant him a state funeral.

Ratan Tata’s body was taken in a hearse decorated with white flowers from his home to the NCPA in south Mumbai on Thursday morning, where it would be kept so that people could pay their last respects. His last rites will be performed at Worli Crematorium in Mumbai.

According to a statement from Tata Trust, Ratan Tata’s remains will be taken on their final journey at 4 pm today.

His funeral in Worli reflects the changing traditions in the Parsi community, where more and more members are opting for cremation rather than having the remains of their loved ones transferred to the Tower of Silence, or Doongerwadi, on Malabar Hill.

Ratan Tata’s Parsi roots

Ratan Tata was a prominent figure not only in the business world but also within the Parsi community. The Parsi community, followers of Zoroastrianism, is one of India’s smallest but most influential religious minorities, of which Tata was a leading member.

Several prominent Parsi publications condoled his death this morning and remembered him as someone who contributed generously to the community. “Ratan Tata is a generous supporter of the Zoroastrian Return to Roots program and has met us graciously a few times. He is a great role model for young Zarathushtis to be humble and philanthropic,” reads a post on Zororoots’ Instagram account.

Parsi Khabar said that “Ratan Tata embodied the timeless values ​​of his Parsi heritage and the teachings of the Zoroastrian faith, leaving a legacy of kindness, integrity and inspiration that will endure through the ages.”

Parsi traditions are changing

Traditionally, Zoroastrians disposed of their dead through a unique practice called ‘sky burial’, in which bodies are placed in a Tower of Silence (Dakhma) and exposed to natural elements and scavenging birds, mainly vultures.

In recent years, with the decline of the vulture population in India, more and more members of the Parsi community have started opting for cremations instead of the traditional Tower of Silence.

According to the Free Press Journal, the prayer hall of the Worli Municipal Crematorium provides a place for the death rituals of Parsi Zoroastrians who do not want to be buried in the Tower of Silence. The 2024 report stated that before the prayer hall was established, only 7 to 8% of funerals among Parsis in Mumbai were cremations.

Now between 15 and 20% of all Parsi funerals take place in crematoria. This is despite the fact that orthodox Parsis still reject the idea of ​​cremations.

Ratan Tata’s funeral

Tata’s remains were taken from the hospital in an ambulance, accompanied by police vehicles, early on Thursday and taken to his home in Colaba. His remains will be held at the NCPA on Thursday from 10am to 3.30pm for people to pay their respects.

His body will be taken to Worli Crematorium for the last rites at 4 p.m. The Maharashtra government on Thursday declared a day of mourning in the state to pay tribute to Ratan Tata, the Chief Minister’s Office said.

The last rites of Cyrus Mistry, another prominent member of the Parsi community, had also been performed at the Worli Crematorium in 2022.