Welcome.

"Aashun".

So this is what it's all about then? Blogging, I mean. A digital "Dear Diary".

I've taken to this activity quite recently, in comparison to the rest of my blogging peers. And I have to say, the reasons for this aren't very emotional or deep. I have found that while writing resumes, there's a column in those Word templates where it asks you to input your website/blog.

I didn't like leaving that column empty.

That being said, like a lot of bloggers, I too have a lot to say and hopefully, a few reading.

So here I go.

Let's start with the title. "Aashun" is respectful Bangla for "Come". This is my call to you, to invite you into this space of writing, reading, thinking, and interactions.

You, the one who is reading this right now, is an important part of the beginning of this journey. Without you, I am writing to myself and basically, this whole attempt at a blog becomes futile. So while I have your attention, I will give you a tiny bit of context about who I am exactly.

This question, I think can be answered as simply as "I am Shreeparna Chatterjee, I live here, I do this... etc, etc, etc."

Or it can be taken through the existential route of "Who am I, what is my place in this world, who do I identify as?"

Well, I am Shreeparna and I am yet to figure out my place in this world, and while I do that, this is a bit of fun I seek to have with you. Even though I am the one writing this, you're the one who's making it valid, who are hearing me out and giving your time of day to make this moment a little more intimate and special. For that, I will say thank you and offer an imaginary hand-shake, right about now. (hugs only when we've gotten to know each other better.)

As mundane and practical my reasons to start this blog might be, I'm here to think out loud and express myself to you for a reason. There's much to grapple with in our world, a lot that is happening and every bit of information that gets distributed and consumed, all of these things are ending up in our mental, emotional and physical systems. I too am part of this circus and monkeying around till I find my vantage point to look out and observe. That vantage point is this opportunity for us to converse.

One thing that I will need you to know about me, is that I am an emotional person. I take things as they come to me, and more often than not, I feel very deeply about them. And at the same time, I have a very detached side to me as well, which you could say works like a shield for my mental peace. That detached side is very organized, solution-oriented and quiet. Both of these sides make me a living mess at times and a very old soul at times. The reason I tell you this is because there will be a lot to my own personal story, my opinions and thoughts that you will be seeing and you will then have some idea as to why I look at things the way I do. However, for now, this much information is enough to go forward.

In this blogging journey, I will be telling you stories from my past, situations of my present and plans for the future, all situated within the space I inhabit. Some of this maybe relatable to a few of those who are reading or maybe completely alien to what you've experienced, but I am hoping that together we can make this into stories, that you and I can both go back to.

Here's to new stories and conversations; to being each other's diaries.

- Shreeparna