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Actress Isha Koppikar believes that the real essence of Gudi Padwa lies not in its rituals but in the values it carries. As the festival approaches, she has made it a point to involve her daughter Rianna in every part of the celebration, right from the preparations to the meaning behind them.
For Isha, this is less about ticking a cultural box and more about laying a strong foundation for how her daughter sees herself and the world around her.
Isha takes a thoughtful, conversation-led approach to keeping the tradition alive. She explains the festival to Rianna as a symbol of new beginnings, resilience and positivity, using it as a gentle but powerful teaching moment. “For me, introducing Rianna to Gudi Padwa is about values and not just about rituals. I involve her in the celebrations. I explain it as a symbol of new beginnings, resilience, positivity. I teach her gratitude, pride in our culture and the courage to start fresh. And this gratitude and pride in our culture is not just for this festival but for every Indian festival that I can think of and I celebrate with her,” she shares.
And according to Isha, the change is already visible. “I can already see a lot of change. She’s very grounded, more aware and looks at life with quiet confidence and positivity,” she adds. For Isha, that sense of rootedness is not something she reserves for Gudi Padwa alone, but it is a thread she weaves through every Indian festival that the Mother-Daughter celebrate together, making culture less of an occasion and more of a way of life.
