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Baby showers are no longer just intimate family ceremonies. Much like weddings, they have evolved into celebrations of their own, complete with elaborate decor, curated themes, grazing tables, games and picture-perfect details. Friends are getting involved too, throwing baby showers for moms-to-be that can feel almost like the next chapter of the bridal shower, only this time the bride-to-be has become the mother-to-be. But Samantha Ruth Prabhu seems to be taking a different route.
When the actor married filmmaker Raj Nidimoru, the couple kept their wedding pretty intimate, choosing a private ceremony over a large-scale celebrity celebration. Now, as they prepare to welcome their first child, Prabhu appears to have carried that same sense of intimacy into her baby shower. Instead of turning the occasion into an elaborate production, she celebrated with a traditional ceremony that placed family, rituals and their meaning at the centre of the day.
Samantha shared glimpses from the celebration and wrote about the traditions she participated in, what they represented and how understanding their significance changed the experience for her.
“I have always had a deep respect for our traditions,” she wrote in the Instagram post, adding that while she may not always understand every ritual, she has long believed there is something deeper at work in mantras, chanting and practices passed down through generations.
And perhaps that is what makes her celebration particularly relevant for a new generation of couples and parents. At a time when traditional ceremonies are being reimagined, personalised and, inevitably, made Instagram-ready, Prabhu’s baby shower makes a case for looking beyond how a ritual photographs and understanding what it actually represents.
Central to the ceremony was Kalaa Aavarana, or Sri Kalpam, a specialised ritual belonging to the Srividya tradition.
According to Prabhu, the ritual honours the 94 kalas, or divine qualities of Devi, through the seven chakras of the mother-to-be. Sacred water and mantras form part of the ceremony, with each stage carrying its own significance. A Srividya Upaasaka conducting the ceremony explained the rituals to her as they unfolded.
“Every mantra had a purpose. Every offering had a meaning. Every step had its place,” Prabhu shared.
One idea in particular stayed with the actor: the way the ceremony views the expectant mother. Within the ritual, she explained, the mother-to-be is honoured as Devi herself, the creator through whom another life is taking form. The blessings, therefore, are not intended solely for the unborn child, but also for the woman entering an entirely new phase of her own life.
Following the abhishekam, the mother-to-be is seated at the centre of the Sri Chakra Yantram, whose nine aavaranas represent stages of a spiritual journey. The recitation of the Devi Khadgamaala then invokes the deities and divine energies associated with these enclosures, with the chanting traditionally believed to offer protection and blessings to the mother and child.
The Maa Inti Bangaaram actor said she entered the ceremony knowing little about the practice but left feeling “deeply blessed and protected”.
There is something refreshing about that admission. Traditions are often inherited before they are understood, especially around weddings, pregnancies and other major life milestones. Prabhu’s experience suggests another way of approaching them — ask questions, understand why a ritual exists and then allow it to take on a meaning that feels personal to you.
The understated approach extended to Prabhu’s look for the ceremony too.
Against the traditional setting, the mom-to-be styled herself in two different looks for the ceremony. For the first look, she opted for a yellow-toned ethnic suit, keeping her hair open and her beauty look minimal. Traditional jewellery, including a choker, earrings and bangles, completed the look. For her second look, she wore a gold-toned saree, keeping her hair tied-up in a clean bun with lots of jasmine flowers (gajra) amping up her traditional South-Indian look. The photographs from the ceremony captured quiet moments between Prabhu and Nidimoru alongside their family.
There is occasion-wear takeaway here as well. As baby showers become another event people dress and plan for, it can be tempting to approach the look with the same maximalism reserved for a wedding function. Prabhu offers an alternative.
For an intimate godh bharai, seemantham or another ceremony at home, a vibrant traditional outfit, classic jewellery and pared-back beauty can make just as strong a statement. More importantly, the clothes complement the occasion rather than becoming the occasion.