Catching up with traditions: Baby’s hair

The other day I was talking to a friend of mine. Like me, she is also a Ph.D. student but in the nutrition department. She was telling me that her baby daughter is now 8 months old and she is planning to do her “mundan.” In the “mundan” ceremony the baby’s head is shaved usually at a temple which is then followed by a pooja (worship). I was wondering how is she going to do it here in USA. She said that she has talked to the woman at the hair salon who has agreed to shave the baby’s head. Then she will go to the temple nearby and perform the ritual. Since her family members can’t be here, she is going to save the baby’s hair and take it to India on her next trip. Then the actual ceremony can be performed in India by a relative.

I asked her what value is there in saving the hair and taking to India for the rituals, the baby will be grown by that time. But she said that I want my child to have Indian values in her. I didn’t want to say more because I could see that she was already so sad that she is not in India and performing the actual ceremony there. I love traditions. But I was wondering, why despite such higher education people still stick to traditions that don’t make sense. I told her, why don’t you change this tradition and do it differently. I understand that it is important to get blessings from family members for the baby. But I couldn’t understand, what value is there in saving baby’s hair? Is that really necessary.