Before parenting books and baby-care routines, there was maalish.
For generations, in Indian homes, the arrival of a newborn has been accompanied by a familiar ritual: warm oil, gentle hands and the loving presence of a mother, grandmother or another family member.
Tel maalish—the traditional practice of oil massage—has been part of Indian childhood for generations.
Many of us may remember it from our own childhoods: lying on a soft cloth while a grandmother carefully massaged tiny arms and legs, or watching our mothers prepare oil before the baby's bath.
Today, life looks different.
Families are often smaller. Grandparents may live in another city. New parents have access to more information than ever before. And many traditional practices are being reconsidered through the lens of modern parenting.
Yet some traditions are worth pausing to understand before we let them disappear.
Newborn oil massage is one of them.
More than a massage
In Indian families, maalish was never simply about applying oil to a baby's skin.
It was a moment of care.
A grandmother's hands.
A mother's touch.
A few quiet minutes before the day's routine began.
For generations, these small rituals created an opportunity for parents and babies to spend unhurried time together.
Today, we often talk about bonding as an important part of early parenthood.
Our mothers and grandmothers may not have used that word.
They simply called it maalish.
A tradition carried by generations
There was never just one way to practise baby massage across India.
Different families and regions have their own customs, oils and routines.
Some families traditionally used mustard oil. Others preferred coconut, sesame or other oils, depending on regional practices, family traditions and the season.
The ingredients may have differed.
The hands may have differed.
The songs and words spoken to the baby may have differed.
But the underlying gesture remained remarkably similar:
touch, care and time.
That is what makes this practice so interesting as part of India's living heritage.
It was not something preserved in a museum.
It was passed quietly from one generation to another.
What does the tradition mean today?
Modern parents may approach newborn massage differently from previous generations.
We now know much more about newborn skin, allergies, sensitivities and safe infant care.
So preserving a tradition does not necessarily mean following every old practice exactly as it was followed before.
It can mean understanding why the tradition mattered and carrying its meaningful parts forward responsibly.
The gentle touch of a parent can create a quiet opportunity for connection.
The routine can become a comforting part of the day.
And for many families, it can also become a beautiful link between generations.
The hands that taught us
Perhaps one of the most beautiful parts of maalish is that the knowledge was traditionally passed through hands.
A mother taught her daughter.
A grandmother taught her daughter-in-law.
An older family member showed a new mother how to hold the baby's tiny limbs, how gently to touch and how to make the experience comfortable for the child.
Not everything was written down.
Much of it was simply shown, practised and remembered.
That is how so much everyday Indian knowledge survived.
And that is also how heritage lives—not only in monuments, textiles and art, but in the ordinary rituals of our homes.
Keeping the tradition, with today's knowledge
There is something beautiful about bringing an old tradition into a modern home.
But newborns are delicate, and every baby is different.
Parents should choose products and routines appropriate for their baby's age and skin, and stop if the baby shows discomfort or develops irritation. For very young or premature babies, or babies with particular medical or skin concerns, it is sensible to seek guidance from a paediatrician before introducing massage or a particular oil.
The goal is not to recreate the past perfectly.
It is to carry forward what is meaningful while making informed choices for the child we have in front of us.
What we inherit—and what we pass on
Heritage is often imagined as something grand.
A beautiful handloom.
An old painting.
A traditional craft.
A centuries-old monument.
But heritage can also be much smaller.
A recipe written in a grandmother's handwriting.
A festival celebrated every year.
A lullaby sung to a newborn.
A particular way of welcoming a baby.
Or a few drops of oil gently massaged into tiny hands and feet.
These everyday practices may seem ordinary.
But they carry something extraordinary:
memory.
Someone did this for us.
We remember it.
And now we have the choice to pass forward the parts that still hold meaning.
Perhaps that is the beauty of maalish
The world around us will continue to change.
Our homes will change.
Our parenting will change.
Our families will change.
But some traditions can evolve without disappearing.
Newborn oil massage can be one of them.
Not because everything our ancestors did must automatically be followed.
But because understanding the traditions that shaped our families helps us understand where we come from.
And perhaps, when we gently massage our own baby's tiny hands, we are doing something more than caring for a newborn.
We are touching a tradition that has travelled through generations.
From our grandmothers.
To our mothers.
To us.
And, perhaps, one day—
to our children.
At Motherly
At Motherly, we believe that India's heritage is not only found in its art, textiles and craftsmanship.
It also lives in the stories we tell, the traditions we practice and the wisdom we pass from one generation to the next.
Some traditions are worth preserving exactly as they are.
Others are worth understanding, adapting and carrying forward in a new way.
Because heritage is not simply what we inherit.
It is what we choose to leave behind.
“From our grandmothers. To our mothers. To us. And, perhaps, one day—to our children.”
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