Alia Bhatt says she writes emails to daughter Raha, imparts lessons inspired by ‘Indian scriptures’

Trust Alia Bhatt to break every glass ceiling, whether it’s carrying a film on her shoulders, executing mom duties alongside powerful performances, championing the cause of climate change with equal élan, or simply keeping it real on social media. The 30-year-old has set the right example for women.

After keeping their daughter away from the media spotlight for a while, Alia and her husband, Ranbir Kapoor, revealed Raha’s face to the world on Christmas. As a working mother who seeks professional help to take care of her daughter during shoots, the actress revealed in an interview with Glass Magazine that she has started a rather unusual practice to bond with her daughter. “I write emails to my daughter. I started doing this the month she was born,” said Alia, adding that she also sends her pictures.

Alia, who wants her daughter to be her own person, added, “I created an email ID and I write to her. Recently, I found myself writing her an email, saying, ‘I’m not one to tell you what to do. Even as your mother, I want you to be your own person. The only thing I wish for you is to be kind and work hard, no matter what you do in life. Work hard on yourself, relationships, and your career. Just go through the day being kind.”

Raha was born in November 2022. One pearl of wisdom Alia wants to impart to her daughter is the importance of kindness in all circumstances. Even on a difficult day, she stresses the need to treat people well. Referring to Indian scriptures, she continued, “No matter how terrible a day you are having, just be kind to people because you don’t know where anyone else is coming from. It’s something that goes way back into Indian scriptures. There’s a certain way that you conduct yourself. You should always treat people the way you want to be treated. That’s the only thing I will say. And I feel like a lot of that gets lost.”

During the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit held in November 2023, Alia explained why she didn’t reveal Raha’s face to the world. “I don’t want it to seem like I am hiding my daughter. I am proud of her. If the cameras were not rolling right now, I would put a giant image of her on the screen. I love her. I am proud of our baby. But we are new parents. We don’t know how we feel about her face splashed all over the internet; she’s barely a year old.”

For Ranbir as well, his favourite moments are the ones that he spends with the 14-month-old. He shared in a TATA AIG GIC video, “Favourite memory would be locking eyes with her and having that instant recognition of who I am, smiling, looking at me and giving me a hug and kiss. I don’t think there is any other better moment than this.”

For the latest news from across India, Political updates, Explainers, Sports News, Opinion, Entertainment Updates and more Top News, visit Indian Express. Subscribe to our award-winning Newsletter Download our App here Android & iOS