Dear Mahi,

We came back from your first mountain trip yesterday. You will not remember this trip as you are too young- less than eight months old. You will not remember the mountains or the fun food or the stories your dadi was sharing from her previous trips, including the one where she and papa brought me to these temples for my mundan.

This trip was special. We travelled to Himachal Pradesh for your mundan sanskar. It is the ceremony in which a child’s hair is shaved for the first time. In our household the tradition is that boys have their mundan at Chintapurni, the temple of our kul devi, our family deity. Girls have theirs at home. I wanted you to have yours at Chintapurni too. I hope someday you will understand why that was important to me. You are my daughter and the same blessings belong to you.

Chintapurni, the name means she who takes away chinta. She is one of the 51 shaktipeeths of India, sacred sites associated with the goddess Sati, distributed across the subcontinent. It is one of the most remarkable stories in Hindu tradition, and I think it says something incredible about love and grief. When you are old enough, I promise I will tell you the full story of the shaktipeeths. For now, know that your mumma, dadi and I brought you here at beginning of your life and prayed to goddess to watch over you.

The journey

We travelled from Delhi to Himachal by train and then took a cab to our hotel. You slept for most of the journey. You have always known when rest is needed. You woke up as we arrived at the hotel.

The ceremony itself was quieter than we expected. You did not cry during the mundan. You sat through the shaving of your hair with a calmness that surprised us. Of course we used phone to distract you- just the back of it and not the screen. You have not seen the screen yet and we intend to keep it that way as much as possible. You cried during the bath. My theory is that you were hungry, and that the sensation of water on a newly bald head was more than you were prepared for. You drank milk immediately after and were calm within minutes. You are too young but you know what is needed and you ask for it clearly. Keep this quality, my baby.

The second day

The second day was long. We visited Maa Baglamukhi temple, Maa Kangra Devi, Maa Chamunda Devi, and Maa Jwala Ji– four temples in one day, travelling through the hills of Himachal from morning to evening. By the time we reached our hotel, at the doorstep of Baba Balak Nath temple, our kul devta, the deity you will see us worshipping on Sundays- the mountains had gone dark.

You were remarkable that day. You played except when you were hungry or sleepy. I think those are fare reasons to cry. You stayed awake until ten thirty or eleven that night, noticing things from your bed, playing with whatever was within reach. I told you the same story I tell you every night- Ek jungle me ek sher tha…. You know the story and lesson from it: Be kind to everyone.

I want to tell you something about these temples, Mahi, because I think it matters. You don’t need to be ashamed or apologetic of your religion. Respect everyone. Be kind to everyone- not just nice but kind. Practice your religion in private but don’t be ashamed of it. I had a long conversation about it with my friend Waqar during my Cornell days. Waqar and I were flatmates during my second year at Cornell. You will meet him someday.

I have never understood that embarrassment of being religious. I think religion has some important utility in our daily lives. You dadi finds peace in her paath. The temples we visited during this trip have been places of human longing for centuries. These are places where for centuries people brought their fears, their gratitude, their grief and asked for something larger than themselves to receive it. Whatever one believes about the gods, there is something true in that impulse. The need to say that I can not do this alone. We will discuss this in detail when time comes.

Your mumma and I brought you to these temples because we are certain about one thing- our love towards you. And because some things are worth doing in the presence of something ancient, even if you cannot fully explain why.

The third day

The last morning, we woke early and climbed a hundred and twenty stairs to the Baba Balak Nath temple. The hotel sat at the base of the stairs. You were awake the whole climb, in my arms, watching everything. I carried you up those stairs and you looked at the mountains, and I thought someday you will climb these yourself.

We spent a couple of hours in the temple. It was a great feeling- listening to paath. Just sitting there, thinking about how your dada used to visit the same temple, how his parents used to come here before him. When we came back the afternoon was slow and warm. You slept. Your mumma and I, seizing the opportunity, went out for Maggi. The maggi was excellent- your mother approved it.

What I was thinking

Somewhere during that trip looking at the mountain ranges in the distance, I found myself thinking about trekking.

I did my first trek in Himachal in 2015. I will tell you about it another time- it deserves its own letter. My last trek was in 2023, to Kareri Lake, also in Himachal. I have not trekked since then, and I miss it.

But here is what I was thinking during the trip. I was thinking that the next time I go into those mountains, I want you with me. As someone who can walk beside me, or when tired, ride on my back. You should feel the altitude and look at the peaks and understand why some things are worth the effort of climbing toward.

The mountains will wait for you, Mahi. They have been there for millions of years. They will still be there when you are ready.

One last thing

We bought you a gada– you have seen the similar one with Hanuman ji– and bangles too. We took many photographs. Ask your mumma or me when you want to see them.

But photographs, Mahi, will only show you where we were. They do not show you what we were feeling- the cold breeze in the evening, the sound of temple bells, the weight of you in my arms on those stairs. We will take many trips together where you will feel these things too.

The mountains are waiting, Mahi.

With all my love,