From A Mother's Heart

When we first walked into Anuja’s home the first thing she wanted to show us were pictures of the ceremony (Munjam) her 8 year old son had just gone through. It is very significant in Anuja’s home as it signifies his ‘finding of himself’. In ancient times he would leave his family and join the guru to find his path in life. Today, fathers act as guru’s for the ceremony and schools help children find their path in life. Aside from these two points the ceremony adheres to customary traditions from traditional dress, shaving clean the scalp, learning of chants, and tons of food.



Anuja took great care to tell us her role. In ancient times, a young boy would never want to leave his mother’s home without food she provided for his journey. She would carefully prepare his favourite foods and place them in white cloth to carry him through. In her son’s bag, Anuja placed biscuits, candy, nuts and an assortment of non perishable food that would sustain him during his time away from her. She was careful to tell us “this food comes from my heart to him. It is a mother’s heart he carries with him.”

Opportunity: Connect Mom To Her Son Through The Food They Prepare As They Journey Through Life