Letters Across Distance
Rea,
What if I told you that these letters began with another father and daughter, almost a hundred years ago, in the mountains of India?
When I was young, I read about a father named Jawaharlal Nehru who wrote letters to his 10-year-old daughter Indira. In the summer of 1928, while he worked in the city of Allahabad, Indira was staying with her mother in Mussoorie, a beautiful town high in the mountains. Missing his daughter and wanting to share his love of learning with her, he began writing her letters about the world.
In thirty letters, he took her on incredible journeys through time and space. In one letter, he explained how our Earth was born from stardust. In another, he wrote about how the great pyramids of Egypt were built. He told stories of ancient civilizations, explained why the sky is blue, and described how plants grow. Each letter was like opening a window to a new part of the world.
These letters must have sparked something special in young Indira’s mind. Years later, she grew up to become one of the first female leaders of any country in modern times - the Prime Minister of India. She led the world’s largest democracy, making decisions that affected millions of people. And it all began with letters from her father, sharing his wonder about the world.
When I first read about these letters as a child, they stayed with me. There was something magical about how a father and daughter could share their love of learning across distance. When Nehru wrote about the Roman Empire or how stars twinkle at night, he was really saying “I want to share the wonder of this world with you.”
That’s why I write these letters to you. And I’ve discovered something interesting - when you write about things, you understand them even better. As I write to you about science, history, and the world around us, I find myself learning alongside you.
From what I’ve read of your writing, I think you have a wonderful way with words. Maybe someday you’ll write letters of your own, sharing your discoveries about the world?
Love, Abba
P.S. Those thirty letters were later published as “Letters from a Father to His Daughter.” Years later, when Nehru was in prison fighting for India’s independence, he wrote hundreds more letters to Indira about world history. Sometimes the simplest acts of sharing knowledge can have effects that echo through generations.
