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Ratan Tata's final journey: A shift in Parsi rituals as cremation at Worli becomes more common
Ratan Tata had been a prominent figure not just in the business world but also within the Parsi community. His last rites will be performed at Worli Crematorium
Renowned industrialist Ratan Tata died at Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital on October 9. 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 touched millions of lives in ways big and small. He will be accorded a state funeral by Maharashtra.
Ratan Tata's body was on Thursday morning taken from his house in a hearse, decked with white flowers, to the NCPA in south Mumbai where it would be kept for people to pay their last respects. His last rites will be performed at Mumbai’s Worli Crematorium.
According to a statement from Tata Trust, Ratan Tata’s mortal remains will be taken on their final journey at 4 pm today.
His funeral at Worli reflects changing traditions in the Parsi community, where more and more members are opting for cremation rather than having the remains of their loved ones consigned to the Tower of Silence, or Doongerwadi, on Malabar Hill.
Ratan Tata’s Parsi roots
Ratan Tata had been a prominent figure not just 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 distinguished member.
Several prominent Parsi publications condoled his death this morning, remembering him as someone who contributed generously for the community. “Ratan Tata has been a generous supporter of the Zoroastrian Return to Roots Program and has kindly met with us on a few occasions. He is a great role model for young Zarathushtis to be humble and philanthropic,” reads a post on the 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.”
Changing Parsi traditions
Traditionally, the Zoroastrians disposed of their dead through a unique practice called "sky burial," where bodies are placed in a Tower of Silence (Dakhma) and exposed to natural elements and scavenging birds, primarily vultures.
In recent years, with the decline of vulture population in India, more and more members of the Parsi community have begun opting for cremations rather than the traditional Tower of Silence.
According to the Free Press Journal, the Prayer Hall at the Worli municipal crematorium offers a place for the death rites of Parsi-Zoroastrians who do not want to be interred in the Tower of Silence. The 2024 report said that before the Prayer Hall was established, only 7 to 8% of funerals among Parsis in Mumbai were cremations.
Now, between 15 to 20% of all Parsi funerals take place at crematoriums. This despite the fact that orthodox Parsis still reject the idea of cremations.
Ratan Tata’s funeral
The mortal remains of Tata were brought out of the hospital in an ambulance escorted by police vehicles early on Thursday and taken to his residence in Colaba. His mortal remains will be kept at the NCPA from 10 am to 3.30 pm on Thursday for people to pay their respects.
At 4 pm, his body will be taken to Worli Crematorium for last rites. The Maharashtra government has declared a day of mourning in the state on Thursday to pay tributes 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.
