Chanda Kochhar did it, then it was Narayana Murthy. They gave me some
inspiration and here is my letter to my daughter, Shreya.
Dear Shreya,
Long before you came into my life, I had longed for a
daughter. You are my dream come true. Of course, our man Shivansh is the cutest
and dearest bonus. I always wanted to raise a woman who is strong, courageous
and independent. My mother has imbibed whatever courage I have today and she
taught me about hope and not giving in. She taught me not to exhibit one’s
fears or tears and be bold to face challenges head on. She taught me the
importance of being independent and to have a mind of your own and I want to pass
on all that to you and more. I do not wish that you become like me coz I am
confident that you will be way better.
You are just three months (and a few days) but seems like I have
known you forever. At that small an age, you don’t know but you have immense
power. Your smile melts both your dad and I in ways we have never known before
(dear Shivansh, your smile is as powerful and I promise I’ll cover that in
another letter). Your tiny hands and feet are the most wondrous creation ever crafted
by God. Every time you goo goo gaa gaa, we fall in love with you more than ever
before.
People guess that you look like someone and then someone
else in the family but honestly, I don’t care. And I want you to know that whoever
you look like, you are and will be my strength and pride. I want you to know that
your looks don’t matter but the person who you become does. I want you to understand the power of simplicity in all aspects. I shall leave no
effort to make you an extremely strong person who is not terrified of anything whatsoever.
I want you not to blindly follow our beliefs or that of anyone else but
question everything. I want you to think intelligently, make decisions independently
and have the wisdom to decide the wrong from right. I want you to be extremely
confident and mature but not vain or self-obsessed. I want you to have the
courage to slam any person who does wrong or tries to impose their ideas upon
you.
I named you Shreya as I believe (much before you were
born) that you will be tremendously talented. I pray that God gives me the
sense to recognize that talent in you and be able to nurture it. I want you to
know Shreya that it is your talent that can take you places and no other person
or luck. Never blame people for your circumstances but have the courage to take
onus of your actions. Never forget to be grateful to whoever teaches you a
lesson. Never be afraid of any hardships and, at all times, have the fearlessness
to face them alone and be aware that I am always there for you.
I know that this letter has many ‘I wants’ from mommy but I do
hope that you have the prudence to decide and become the best of what your dad
and I want and wish, and be much more. It is inadequate to say that I love you
since what I feel for you is way stronger.
Committed to you for life,
Your mum
