A recent letterwriting workshop at Bangalore International Centre, Domlur.
Credit: Special Arrangement.
Writing letters to oneself and loved ones is picking up among city folk, share workshop facilitators. Be it as an activity to slow down or as a form of healing, there has been an increase in workshops in the city to promote the hobby.
Hennur resident Akanksha Gautam and Whitefield resident Sunita H have been writing letters to each other for five months. Though they meet at events and phone each other once in a while, “nothing is as fulfilling as receiving letters and replying to them”, they say.
A recent event at Bangalore International Centre (BIC), Domlur, titled ‘Sincerely Yours’ had 27 participants. “All the participants were given 50-paise postcards. During the 90 minutes, we shared examples of some cute letters with the participants. They were given different prompts to write four letters,” shares Sandhya Kannan who facilitated the event. She vouches for the fact that there is a buzz around postcard and letter writing both online and offline.
A senior embedded engineer, Lavin Samuel, attended the BIC event. “I’ve already written a few letters and plan to write more,” he says. He finds the process “quite freeing and intimate”.
Ekta Singh, who conceptualises Ekta’s Gatherings, a platform for varied curated events, has hosted postcard and letter-writing workshops in the past in collaboration with Sonali Bhatia.
This was when Ekta picked up the habit herself. “I love the personal touch and the fact that letters take time to reach you,” Ekta notes, adding, “It builds a sense of anticipation, which is truly exciting.” At the events she has hosted, the idea of stepping away from one’s gadgets was enjoyed by all, she shares.
Sonali, who hosted a session with Ekta in May, believes people are attracted to letter writing due to its tangible nature. “Being able to touch something that a loved one has created for you is special. In comparison, texting does not feel as meaningful or thoughtful,” she elaborates.
Therapeutic in nature
Divyanshi Garg recently facilitated a letter-writing workshop on inner-child healing at Atta Galatta, Indiranagar. The event focused on writing two letters — each participant had to write a letter to their younger self, and their child version had to write one to the adult self.
“The session was meant to be therapeutic. When we send voice notes or messages to each other, we often don’t give it too much thought. When writing a letter, our speed is slow and we are mindful of each word we write,” she explains.
She adds people are increasingly interested in setting aside an hour or two for letter writing, to take a break from their fast-paced lives.