“The earth, the air, the land, and the water are not an inheritance from our forefathers but on loan from our children.” — Mahatma Gandhi
The recent passing away of Ratan Tata Ji, an iconic entrepreneur and philanthropist, marks not just the end of an era in Indian entrepreneurship but also highlights an unsettling shift in cultural and religious traditions due to human-induced climate change. Unlike other Parsis who are traditionally taken to the “Tower of Silence” under the practice of “Dakhma Nashini”, Tata was cremated. This departure from religious practice is a poignant example of how environmental degradation—driven by anthropogenic activities—is disrupting millennia-old rituals, beliefs, and ways of life.
The ancient practice of “Dakhma Nashini” involves placing the deceased on stone towers (Dakhmas), where vultures consume the bodies, allowing Nature to complete the cycle of life and death without burial or burning. This practice symbolises the Parsi belief in minimising harm to the earth and preventing contamination of the elements. However, in recent years, the ritual has become increasingly difficult to sustain due to the drastic decline in the vulture population of India. The primary culprit? Diclofenac, a veterinary anti-inflammatory drug introduced in the 1990s, which causes kidney failure in vultures when they consume the carcasses of cattle treated with the drug.
The Extinction Of Vultures: A Ripple Effect
Between 1992 and 2007, vulture populations in India plummeted by more than 97% due to the widespread use of Diclofenac. The Indian white-backed vulture (Gyps Bengalensis), the long-billed vulture (Gyps Indicus), and the slender-billed vulture (Gyps Tenuirostris) were hit the hardest. A 2022 study by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) shows that, despite bans on Diclofenac in 2006, recovery has been slow and inadequate. Vultures, which once numbered in millions, now hover around in a few thousands.
This ecological catastrophe has had profound cultural consequences. For the Parsi community, the absence of vultures has made “Dakhma Nashini” nearly impossible to practise, leading to a shift toward cremation and burial—practices that are alien to the ecological philosophy of the community. The change is not merely logistical but strikes at the heart of Parsi identity, challenging centuries-old beliefs about life, death, and the sanctity of Nature.
Anthropogenic Climate Change And Religious Traditions Across India
The Parsi community is not alone in grappling with environmental disruptions to religious practices. Across India, climate change is increasingly affecting traditions that have been carefully preserved through generations:
Ganga’s Retreat and Rituals: The receding waters of the Ganga, due to erratic rainfall and glacial melt, are affecting Hindu rituals. Several religious ceremonies require immersion of idols and ashes in the river, which holds sacred significance. Reduced water levels, pollution, and changing river flows have altered centuries-old rituals, forcing communities to adapt to artificial ponds for idol immersion.
The Vanishing Sunderbans and Bonbibi Worship: In the Sunderbans of West Bengal, climate change is eroding the forest and threatening the Bonbibi tradition—a folk religion practised by Hindus and Muslims, where Bonbibi, the forest goddess, is worshipped to protect people from tiger attacks. Rising sea levels and salinity are damaging the mangrove ecosystem, pushing both humans and tigers into conflict zones and jeopardising a culture rooted in ecological balance.
Agrarian Festivals Under Threat: Festivals such as Pongal in Tamil Nadu and Makar Sankranti in Northern India celebrate agricultural cycles, marking harvests and seasons. However, changing monsoon patterns and extreme weather events are disrupting these cycles, impacting not just food security but also the festivals that are tied to them. The delayed or failed arrival of rains has forced communities to change the timing or scale of celebrations, diminishing their cultural essence.
The Global Trend: How Climate Change Affects Cultural Practices Worldwide
The impact of climate change on culture is not confined to India. Globally, indigenous communities are losing traditions as ecosystems shift or disappear. In the Arctic, the Inuit people, whose lives revolve around sea ice, are struggling to preserve their traditional hunting practices as ice melts at unprecedented rates. Similarly, in the Pacific Islands, rising sea levels are submerging ancestral burial grounds, prompting people to exhume and relocate the remains of their ancestors —a deeply distressing cultural loss. From the disappearing Venice canals to the shrinking Great Barrier Reef, entire cultural identities are at risk of being erased by rising temperatures, erratic weather, and biodiversity loss.
Rethinking Conservation as Cultural Preservation
The link between climate change and culture underscores the need for a shift in our conservation strategies. Preserving biodiversity is not just an ecological imperative but a cultural one. The decline of vultures, for instance, is not merely a loss of a species—it is the collapse of an ecological service that sustains the spiritual practice of community. Recognising this intersection between biodiversity and culture can help design conservation efforts that respect both ecosystems and traditions.
India has taken some steps toward vulture conservation, such as establishing vulture breeding centres and restricting the veterinary use of Diclofenac. However, the slow recovery of vulture populations reveals that isolated conservation efforts are insufficient. Addressing the broader challenges of climate change, habitat loss, and species extinction requires a multi-pronged approach involving stricter regulations, public awareness, and habitat restoration.
Conclusion: Embracing Adaptation Without Losing Identity
The story of Ratan Tata’s cremation symbolises a larger, unsettling reality—that human activities are not only changing the climate but also eroding cultural and religious identities. As communities worldwide are forced to adapt to new environmental realities, the challenge lies in finding ways to preserve the essence of traditions without compromising the environment further.
Ultimately, tackling climate change is about more than carbon emissions or global temperatures; it is about protecting the intangible heritage that shapes who we are. As India works toward sustainable development through our National Action Plan on Climate Change, it must also ensure that the cultural practices intertwined with its ecosystems are not lost in the pursuit of progress.
In remembering the legacy of Ratan Tata, let us not just celebrate his entrepreneurial achievements but also reflect on the quiet message his departure leaves us with—the delicate web of life, culture, and nature is fraying, and it is up to us to mend it.
Dr Fauzia Khan, Nationalist Congress Party MP in Rajya Sabha.
