Dear Nachiketa,
Yesterday you arrived in this world. I feel I am on top of the world and can't stop tap dancing. Your mother feels on top of the world too but she is too tired to dance. A billion dollars will not make us as happy as we hold your puny hands and play with you. Amongst all the gifts God gives mankind, surely the gift of the child must be the most precious.
Even as we are celebrate your birth and pamper you, I realise the enormous challenges you will face as you grow up. I hope to write as many letters to you as possible so that when you grow up, you may relate to them and hopefully find a few useful ideas.
The first is to be deeply thankful for everything you have. Consider how incredibly lucky you are. Infant mortality in India is 33 deaths per 1000 babies. Officially 40% of the population lives in poverty. Half of Indian children under four don't have enough to eat. Most of them have stunted physical and brain growth. Hungry children cannot study or work hard preventing them from contributing seriously to the country. When you grow up, you will be one of the privileged.
If you are humble and thankful for what you have, you will do fine. If you are proud and arrogant, you will be destroyed. If you are not on your guard, you can get arrogant without you even knowing about it. You need to be very conscious about the need for humility in every aspect of your life.
I will end by teaching you your first prayer:
AUM SAHANAAVAVATU | SAHANAO BHUNAKTU |
SAHAVIRYAM KARVAVAHAI
||AUM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTI: ||
O Brahma! Protect both of us the teacher and the disciple in all ways. Please nourish both of us. May we both become strong, may we become radiant because of the knowledge imbibed by us. May we be never tormented by mutual hatred. O Supreme God! May we be liberated from the miseries and worries of life.
Welcome Nachiketa, my dear child. Welcome to the lap of Earth.
