Sun and Moon: One Tree, Many Names

I went looking for my ancestors. The search changed what I meant by “my people.”

Four names set me on the way: Suhotra, Sahotra, Sahota and Sihota. From summer nights beneath the moon on our rooftop in India, I follow them into Punjab’s villages, family memories and older texts.

Then a monk from the Korean peninsula brings me an unexpected connection. Writing in Chinese thirteen centuries ago, Hyecho described Jalandhara—a familiar place reaching me through a stranger’s words.

Who else had I left outside the story of where I came from?

Sun and Moon: One Tree, Many Names follows a personal search through ancestry, Punjab’s heritage, solar and lunar traditions, and changing faiths. Family memory, inherited tradition and documented history each have their place. At its heart is a question I cannot leave in the past: how can we carry forward the courage of those before us without carrying their hatreds?

You do not need to share my surname or my beliefs to come along. Bring the names and questions you carry.