Life in the times of lockdown: Returning to the art of writing letters

In a lockdown that has forced most of us to simplify and slow down, some people are revisiting communication by keepsake.

In a lockdown that has forced most of us to simplify and slow down, some people are revisiting communication by keepsake.

Letters are more meaningful, they say, precisely because you take your time, you know this is something that will last.

“When somebody reads your letter, you feel heard,” says Geraldine Pinto, 29, a customer service executive with an airline based in London. “Letters feel special even to the recipient, because unlike a text, time, thought and effort goes into it.”

Pinto has been writing letters to friends and family for years. But during the lockdown, she found herself writing to people she’d never written to before.

“I’m writing to colleagues, because I miss them. In each letter, I include an inside joke or recollection,” says Pinto. She uses colourful pens, handmade paper and personalised stamps to make each letter unique.

Delhi-based Shivani Mehta, 28, co-founder Battees, which organises letter-writing events, is using the lockdown to rekindle ties through letters. “I sat down and wrote five letters at a stretch one day, which is not something I have ever done,” she says. “I even wrote to the principal of my old school. I refilled my ink pen after ages!” she says.

Geraldine Pinto uses art, colour and personalised stamps to make her letters to friends and family unique.

Mehta has a few suggestions for those trying their hand at letter writing for the first time, or first time in a long time. “Write to a fictitious person first, someone from a future or past generation,” she says.

“Document all that’s happening during this pandemic. Imagine this person stumbling upon your letter and think about what you would want them to feel as they read it.”

You could also write a letter to yourself – the self that will emerge on the other side of this pandemic. “Write about the things you’ll never take for granted again. Write a few sentences to start with, then try expanding on a thought, idea or feeling,” Mehta says. Alternatively, you could join online letter-writing communities and get yourself a pen pal.

Delhi-based Paromita Bardoloi, 35, runs Letter From a Stranger, which invites people to write e-letters to those they’re matched with.

Mumbai-based power-lifter Janaki Nagaraj, 48, is part of the group and has written three e-letters during the lockdown.

Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter