Hi,

I built this app for my sister, whose name is (surprise surprise!) Ashna. And a few more people I hold close and dear in my life.

For many years now - almost all of my adult life - I have been dissatisfied with how modern technology allows us to communicate and share experiences. I greatly appreciate the quickness and breadth of connectivity it offers. But depth… that’s something I’ve really missed.

When I was younger, I used to write letters. Not frequently or regularly. I still do sometimes. It would give me a chance to connect with someone at a level not matched by modern social apps. Sometimes, I create a gift box for someone I care deeply about. It would contain things from various parts of the world (sometimes collected over years) that made me think of them.

All these, I realized, are ways for me to share my life, my thoughts, and my experiences in a deeper sense than chatting or posting ‘stories’ on an app.

Ashna loves being outdoors, meeting new people, hearing their stories with sincere intent, visiting new places..just a whole lot of new. She’s intelligent, passionate, ambitious, and full of life. She loves doing the things she does and loves them more with people around.

I, on the other hand, am what is described politely as an old soul and (mostly correctly) as a bore. I don’t talk until poked just the right amount, speak to very few people, hardly go out (even less to meet people). Most of my passions and hobbies are enjoyed in solitude.

We love and care deeply about each other. We talk about everything we can when we do get the chance - romantic interests, existential fears, our deepest vulnerabilities and aspirations…

The world would, I fear, lose meaning for me if she wasn’t around.

Yet, there is so much about her I wish to know but don’t get to. We’re often in different cities and time zones, bogged down with work, and our interactions limited to quick check-in calls. Moments that matter are shared but often not deeply engaged with. And then they vanish. We never scroll up old chats or check out old ‘stories’.

I feel the same way for some of my closest friends. I wish we had a way to hold space for ourselves and each other, share experiences and memories such that they don’t disappear from our consciousness. And that our distance in space and time could be bridged by something that does not have us riding an insatiable ferris wheel they call a ‘feed’.

So, I built ashna.

To find and make ways to be closer to those I love and care about. To myself when I lose track, which the universe knows happens at excruciatingly high frequency. And to hold space for the moments that affect me deeply - allowing me to express, reflect upon, and share them.

Give it a try. Put your pictures and videos in a diary. Write or record voice notes. Add documents or links. Have a conversation with ashna to reflect upon your thoughts and feelings in those moments. Capture what's keeping you up at night or making you go 'duh'. Keep it to yourself, or share it with those you want to let in.

Use it as a journal, scrapbook, or dump of memories. Whatever you want, however you like.

And please let me know what ashna makes you think and feel.

Thanks,

Abhinav