Mumbai: India’s famous businessman Ratan Tata died in Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital on 9 October. Ratan Tata was 86 years old and was ill for some days. Ratan Tata was a Parsi, yet his last ritual was not be performed according to Parsi customs. But his last rites were performed differently from the traditional way of the Parsis. His last rites were performed in the electric crematorium. Before this, prayers were offered for him for about 45 minutes. 

 the tradition of last rites in Parsi customs is different and quite difficult. In Hinduism, the body is handed over to fire or water, in Muslim and Christian communities the body is buried, but this does not happen in the Parsi community. Parsi people hand over the body to the sky, which is eaten by vultures, eagles, and crows. 

Why do Parsis surrender the dead body to the sky?

In Hinduism, the dead body is handed over to fire or water. It means that the dead body is burnt or immersed in water. In some places, there is a tradition of burying the dead body. Whereas, in Muslim and Christian religions, the dead body is handed over to the earth. It means that it is buried. But, in the Parsi community, the last rites are completely different. Parsi people consider fire as a god. Similarly, water and earth are also considered holy. Whereas the dead body is considered impure. The Parsi community believes that by burning, floating, or burying the dead body, fire, water or earth becomes impure. By doing this, God's creation gets polluted. Therefore, in the Parsi community, the dead body is handed over to the sky. A special place has been selected for this.