Beed, April 10 Maharashtra-cadre Indian Administrative Service officer Tukaram Mundhe said his family "consciously adopted a sensitive and rational approach inspired by scientific thinking" while performing the final rites of his mother, who recently passed away.
After cremating her in their native village of Tadsonga in Beed, instead of immersing the ashes in water, the family chose to bury them in their agricultural land and plant a banyan tree at the spot, he said in a social media post.
"Nature is the creator and the supreme force of this universe. Protecting, nurturing, and respecting nature is the truest form of devotion and tribute," Mundhe wrote in the post.
Planting a banyan tree would allow his mother's love and blessings to continue for generations, he said.
The family also chose to deviate from traditional funerary practices by completing all ceremonies within three days and dropping the tenth and thirteenth day rituals, known as 'dahava' and 'terava', he said.
Modern society must prioritize scientific thinking, environmental protection, and social usefulness over ritualistic practices, the IAS officer emphasised.
Mundhe was transferred by the Maharashtra government on March 31, his 24th posting in his 21-year career as a bureaucrat.
He was transferred from the Divyang Kalyan Department and appointed as Secretary, Disaster Management, Rehabilitation and Revenue, and the Forest Department.