Even though Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata’s death was announced close to midnight on Wednesday, October 9, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde almost immediately declared a state funeral and a day of mourning.
On Thursday, October 10, all national flags in Maharashtra will be flown at half-mast and all official programmes of the state government stand cancelled. Home Minister Amit Shah will represent the Union government at the funeral.
News agencies said that Tata’s body will be kept on the lawns of the National Centre for Performing Arts in Nariman Point from 10:30am to 3:30pm on Thursday for viewing by the public. The NCPA has been closely linked to the Tata Group since its inception. At 3:30 pm, the funeral cortege will leave for Worli crematorium where the last rites will be performed.
In his statement, Shinde made a special mention of Tata’s resoluteness during the 26/11 terror attack. The Tata Group's flagship Taj Mahal Palace Hotel at Colaba was one of the key targets of the November 2008 attack. Shinde’s statement highlights Tata’s towering status, beyond his credentials as a businessman.
Where possible, the Parsi faith advocates sky burials, where dead bodies are left on top of Towers of Silence to be consumed by vultures. But Mumbai’s dwindling vulture population had for long been the topic of discussion in the small community, leading to theological approval for cremations.
Traditionally, the Parsis abhor cremations as they venerate fire and worship in Fire Temples. The faith considers dead bodies to be impure and hence does not approve of disposing of them in land or water burials.
On his website, travel photographer Ramdas Iyer makes an interesting observation about the presence of dogs in traditional Parsi burials. He writes that after the body is washed and wrapped in a funeral shroud, “a dog, regarded as faithful and loyal, visits the body to confirm death.” While THE WEEK has not been able to confirm if this practice still exists, it serves as a poignant reminder of Tata’s abiding love for all creatures great and small.