Tonsure
Tonsure (the act of cutting the hair or shaving the head) after the death of an elder member of the family is a age-old Hindu custom. In Hinduism, the underlying concept is that hair is a symbolic offering to the gods, representing a real sacrifice of beauty, hence shaving your head shows your grief for the departed soul.
Also, Hair on the head is treated as an adornment and as a symbol of vanity.
On the death of an elderly person in a family, the Hindus consider the children of the family not to be egoistic in nature but be humble, devoted and submitted to nature. So they need them to give up their adornment and vanity in humiliation.
It's an important custom in Hinduism, as the ritual of shaving one's head allows you to be closer to God, demonstrating a total submission, whereby all of your arrogance and vanity has been removed. The final ceremonial haircut takes place when a family member dies.
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