Cremations in Baroda

With the diminishing number of vultures in Vadodara (Baroda) Zoroastrians there are increasingly opting for cremation of their loved ones, as did Roda Hakim when her husband, Dara, 89, died recently. "I just knew he would wish to be cremated” even though he did not leave any specific instructions, Hakim informed The Times of India (TOI) as reported in its edition of November 19, 2012. The priest from the local agiary came to their home to recite the prayers before the body was taken to the Karelibaug crematorium, the newspaper mentions.
This is not the first instance of Zoroastrians not being interred in the Tower of Silence. As early as in the 1980s Dr Rustom Cama, father of Baman Cama, the present head of the Vadodara Parsi Panchayat, was cremated. More recently the country’s first photojournalist, Homai Vyarawalla left specific instructions with her lawyer mandating cremation, notes TOI. Roshan Modi, matriarch of the family that owns a confectionary store and restaurant in Vadodara was cremated by her family, according to her wishes.
"It is individual choice. The Parsi Panchayat has never formally discussed the topic. The families are free to take a decision. Some families have opted for cremation in the past, although the majority still prefers the Tower of Silence,” Jal Patel, past president of the Panchayat, informed TOI.
This liberal approach of the clergy and elders has been welcomed by the community. "Everyone realizes that the decision to cremate does not mean moving away from our tradition — it’s a very practical solution to a raging problem,” explained a member of the Modi family. These sentiments were echoed by Nikitin Contractor, member of one of the city’s oldest families when he said: "I don’t think there is anything wrong with cremation. Parsis can also go in for burial, like J. R. D. Tata did.”