<p>A young Bengaluruean writes letters to strangers for Valentine’s Day, to assure them that “they aren’t alone during the season”. </p>.<p>A recipient can be suggested by friends, and in many cases, the recipients suggest themselves, says Udita Pal, co-founder of Salt, a fintech company.</p>.<p>She started writing these letters in February 2018. “I was not dating anyone then and my life felt very empty. I wrote on Facebook that if anyone was single on V-Day, I would send them a love letter. I wrote 40 handwritten letters and 100 emails that year,” she says. The following year, she wrote 110 letters and 800 emails.</p>.<p>This year, she has received over 1,800 requests. “I accept requests for sending emails till February 14, 8 pm, and the deadline for requests for handwritten letters is February 10,” she says. </p>.<p>She spends Rs 60-200 on the stationery and courier charges for every letter. “I use scented pens and stickers,” she says.</p>.<p>All her letters stick to the core idea — loving oneself. Udita’s first letter mentioned how she had gone through a breakup, how therapy didn’t help, and how, like herself, everyone could get out of a bad situation. “All they need to do is love themselves,” the 26-year-old says. </p>.<p>Along with names, some also share their quirks, which Udita uses to personalise the letters.</p>.<p>“In 2020, I suggested movies the receiver could watch, quoted my favourite songs from Queen... In 2021, I sent people flower petals and asked those who wished to be my Valentine to write back. I graduated from having no Valentine to a 1,000 that year,” she says, with a laugh. </p>.<p>An Indiranagar resident, Udita has written letters to most states in the country and to the Andamans too. She bonds with many people she wrote to.</p>.<p>“I wrote to a girl in Sikkim, who confessed to having feelings of self-harm. She felt cherished after receiving the letter. Each year, many write back. Some send pictures and say they felt better after reading their letters,” she says. A few have offered to collaborate with her on this yearly project. “I hope to look at it next year, as I want to be sure that everyone who has requested a letter gets theirs from me this time,” she says.</p>.<p><span class="italic">Udita can be reached at twitter.com/i_Udita </span></p>
<p>A young Bengaluruean writes letters to strangers for Valentine’s Day, to assure them that “they aren’t alone during the season”. </p>.<p>A recipient can be suggested by friends, and in many cases, the recipients suggest themselves, says Udita Pal, co-founder of Salt, a fintech company.</p>.<p>She started writing these letters in February 2018. “I was not dating anyone then and my life felt very empty. I wrote on Facebook that if anyone was single on V-Day, I would send them a love letter. I wrote 40 handwritten letters and 100 emails that year,” she says. The following year, she wrote 110 letters and 800 emails.</p>.<p>This year, she has received over 1,800 requests. “I accept requests for sending emails till February 14, 8 pm, and the deadline for requests for handwritten letters is February 10,” she says. </p>.<p>She spends Rs 60-200 on the stationery and courier charges for every letter. “I use scented pens and stickers,” she says.</p>.<p>All her letters stick to the core idea — loving oneself. Udita’s first letter mentioned how she had gone through a breakup, how therapy didn’t help, and how, like herself, everyone could get out of a bad situation. “All they need to do is love themselves,” the 26-year-old says. </p>.<p>Along with names, some also share their quirks, which Udita uses to personalise the letters.</p>.<p>“In 2020, I suggested movies the receiver could watch, quoted my favourite songs from Queen... In 2021, I sent people flower petals and asked those who wished to be my Valentine to write back. I graduated from having no Valentine to a 1,000 that year,” she says, with a laugh. </p>.<p>An Indiranagar resident, Udita has written letters to most states in the country and to the Andamans too. She bonds with many people she wrote to.</p>.<p>“I wrote to a girl in Sikkim, who confessed to having feelings of self-harm. She felt cherished after receiving the letter. Each year, many write back. Some send pictures and say they felt better after reading their letters,” she says. A few have offered to collaborate with her on this yearly project. “I hope to look at it next year, as I want to be sure that everyone who has requested a letter gets theirs from me this time,” she says.</p>.<p><span class="italic">Udita can be reached at twitter.com/i_Udita </span></p>