Archive · 25 Sep 2026
Gulzar Wrote Daughter Meghna a Book for Every Birthday
Meghna Gulzar said her father, Gulzar, made her a book for every birthday until she turned 13.
He published the books, and she shared them with classmates.
Each book also had a letter written especially for her age.
Gulzar believed parents should talk to children with respect rather than talk down to them.
He also believed parents learn how to parent as their children grow.
Psychotherapist Delnna Rrajesh said this means treating children’s feelings as real while still providing rules and protection.
Older children need more privacy and independence, but they still need guidance.
Good parents listen carefully and keep learning about the person their child is becoming.
Gulzar wrote and published a book for daughter Meghna on every birthday until she was 13.
Meghna said she distributed the books at school, and each included a letter addressed to her at that age.
Gulzar taught that parents should speak to children as equals and grow alongside them.
Psychotherapist Delnna Rrajesh said equality means respecting a child’s human dignity, not giving children equal authority.
Rrajesh said effective parenting combines listening, boundaries and guidance as children gain independence.
- Who
- Filmmaker Meghna Gulzar discussed her father, poet and lyricist Gulzar; psychotherapist Delnna Rrajesh commented on his parenting approach.
- What
- Meghna revealed that Gulzar wrote and published a book for her every birthday until she was 13, while emphasizing respectful, age-appropriate parenting.
- When
- The books were written annually from Meghna’s birth until she was 13; she shared the account at the Be a Man, Yaar Townhall.
- Where
- Meghna made the comments at the Be a Man, Yaar Townhall; she said she distributed the books at school.
- Why
- Gulzar believed parents should grow alongside their children and speak to them from a place of equality and respect.
- Parent
- Gulzar
- Child
- Meghna Gulzar
- Birthday books
- One book was written and published for each birthday until Meghna was 13.
- Book contents
- Each book included a letter from Gulzar addressed to Meghna at her age.
- Parenting principle
- Children should be spoken to as equals, according to Meghna’s account of Gulzar’s approach.
- Expert commentator
- Psychotherapist Delnna Rrajesh described the approach as conscious parenting.
- Key distinction
- Equality in parenting means equal human dignity, not equal authority.