Dear Reader,

How can I, on behalf of the team, and brand Aalaap, say thank you to you all?

Will this Gratitude Journal do justice to how generously you came forward when we reached out to you, to share your craft and creativity with our audience, during the early stages of the pandemic when we were trapped indoors and the arts seemed like the only window of hope, possibility, and transformation?

I hope it does because this journal comes from a place of honesty and a genuine attitude of gratitude. We decided to create this soon after we formally whittled down the pace of our activity on social media, bringing our umbrella campaign, Hope in the Time of Corona, to a closure of sorts. And what a campaign it has been for us, personally and professionally.

Under that idea, we conceived and curated a host of initiatives with a singular intent to allow the arts and its transformational quality to impact and affect people, in a positive way. From classical dance to music of all genres, to conversations and interactions with groups - small and big on a slew of ideas pertaining to the world of the arts and all its eclectic paraphernalia - Hope in the Time of Corona, became for us, an anchor of sorts.

We woke up every morning with hope; cracking our heads and minds on what we could do, talking into our mobile phones to each other, even as we circled the tiny spaces of our home, round and round, going over the chores, day after day, allowing for it to slowly become - from struggle to comfort to a way of life, letting the music and dance fill our lives even as we drew important life lessons from this pandemic.

In our own small way, we’d like to believe that we contributed a little something to what will become a historical moment, and we couldn’t have done it solo. You have been an integral and instrumental part of our journey and we want to say thank you in the way we know best. We hope The Gratitude Journal becomes for you that special book where you jot down an abundance of ideas, thoughts and observations that will help you nurture and sustain your craft and I hope it will also remain and remind you of a memory that we created, together.

Because, this pandemic has reinforced, yet again, how things can change and move if we worked in the true spirit of collaboration.

Thank you for being an integral instrument of hope! I also want to raise a toast to my team - Subiksha, Supritha and Smrithi - who worked tirelessly to ensure we sustained the pace and made a small difference in our own way.

Warmly

Akhila Krishnamurthy
Founder
Aalaap

FILL THE FORM AND DOWNLOAD YOUR OWN COPY OF THE GRATITUDE JOURNAL