The Dreamer's Diary

It must be a wonderful time to be in power. Specially when you know you don't deserve it!  All it takes to make headlines is to close a beloved heritage restaurant or paint a hundred-year-old monument or a 300-year-old city in a livelier shade. This government — you know, the one that recently handed us our “ New Independence Day, " self-declared   world leader (only in a fool's paradise)— is clearly on a roll.  The recent one: out goes Bijoli Gril from Bhanga Bhawan, escorted away by memories of kosha mangsho, dab chingri and mutton cutlets never to return. Maybe democracy now means you’re free to say goodbye to anything remotely warm, familiar, or meaningful. Apparently, College Street in the City of Joy is another example. Why should Kolkata have an old-fashioned book lover’s paradise when it can look like London? Let’s bulldoze the quaint, the unique — after all, failed imitation is the highest form of flattery. Hawkers at railway stations, too, have exited stage le...

I sit in the quiet,   but it presses too close —   a shadow of isolation that   wraps around my thoughts.   Lonely is not the same as alone,   they say —   Yet emptiness can live   even in the middle of a crowd.   I fear the hollow space   where no words find me,   where no laughter breaks through,   where stories are trapped,   hungering to be shared.   And I fear the crowd —   faces without depth,   voices tangled in noise,   opinions thrown like confetti   with no weight to land on truth.   Between silence and noise   I search for presence —   a soul that listens,   a voice that speaks with meaning,   a moment that feels   like it belongs to both of us.    Until then,   I wander between echoes,   not alone,   yet not e...

Tourist shares pic of Jim Corbett safari guide consuming tobacco, official reacts A visitor from Chandigarh said his guide at Jim Corbett National Park consumed tobacco during a safari, offered it to foreign tourists, and showed little interest in wildlife, prompting a response from park authorities. - Economic Times, Ocr, 2025  Gypsy drivers, guides caught on camera harassing tigress, cubs; suspended by Nagpur authorities Nagpur wildlife sanctuary suspends gypsy drivers and guides for harassing a tigress and her cubs, shocking incident caught on camera, watch. - KalingaTV Bureau On Jan 5, 2025  In a bizarre incident, a sub-adult male tiger died at Bandhavgarh National Park after it crept under a tourist vehicle whose driver panicked on seeing the tiger and ran over it. The incident happened on April 21 and the tiger was found dead three days later with injuries on the ribs and lungs. The driver of the vehicle has been arrested and has been booked for poaching! - Hindustan Tim...

We Indians don’t just worship occasionally. We worship like it’s a national sport. In fact, if worship were an Olympic event, we’d bring home every gold medal and then build a temple for the gold medal.   It all started like it does for homosapeince everywhere — with fear. Fire? Scary. Storm? Terrifying. Flood? Better pray it stops. Earthquake? Impossible to control.  So what did we do? We invented Gods out of these forces, just to feel less powerless. “If you can’t fight it… garland it.” That became our motto.   The rest of the world eventually decided, “Hey, maybe we can study these things scientifically and find ways to deal with them.” They still pray now and then, but they also invest in weather satellites and earthquake-resistant buildings.  We, on the other hand, upgraded our worship — not by replacing it, but by expanding it. We built this fascinating ecosystem where you can work in IT, own the latest smartphone, travel in the metro… and still belie...

 We live in a world beautifully dressed in words.   “Do what you love.”   “Follow your passion.”   “Love your job.”   They shine on posters in cosy bedrooms, on office walls in glass-front high-rises, and on Instagram feeds accompanied by serene sunsets.  And yet—once we step into the concrete reality of life, especially the corporate grind in a country like India—we discover that these words often belong more to art than to lived experience.   In the marketplace of ambition, love for one’s work feels like a rare antique—admired, but seldom possessed.  Most of what we call success stems from targets hit, deals closed, and emails marked approved. But true satisfaction—the kind that lingers not in your wallet but in your soul—is elusive. It is the quiet joy of simply being, immersed in work that doesn’t deplete you, but replenishes you.   Yet, in this materialistic age, the path to that joy is narrow and jagged....

I still remember the first day we met.     Not in the way two people meet, but in the quiet, almost mystical way one meets someone very special, who will become a part of their soul.   A shy, unsure, undecided, and confused young soul   —   carved out of hesitation and wrapped in uncertainty. Brought into that small, cosy room at the far end of the city, I carried with me nothing but a suitcase, a restless heart, and the feeling of being a stranger everywhere I turned.    It was a new city. A new language fluttered through the streets like birds I could not yet name. A new culture pulsed in the air, warm but alien. There were no familiar faces, no friends, no guiding hands. Just me—still adjusting my steps—and the quiet companionship of those four walls.    And somehow… without words, the room spoke.    It told me, “Not to worry, my friend… here we are. This is your place. Our place. Alone, yet together. Here, you can be y...

I ndia is often described as a natural treasure chest when it comes to wildlife. From snow leopards in the Himalayas to elephants in Kerala, from the dense tiger habitats of central India to the vibrant birdlife of the Sundarbans, our country’s biodiversity is nothing short of magical. This “wild universe” is a stunning testament to adaptation, survival, and sustainability — if only we cared enough to protect it. And yet, after 20 years of experience in the media industry and frequent visits to wildlife parks in India, one thing I have learnt for certain is that, despite being a land historically tied to forests, rivers, and agriculture, the majority of Indians lack even the most basic wildlife knowledge. Empathy comes much later, if at all. I’ve met highly educated people — corporate CEOs, well-travelled entrepreneurs — who cannot tell a tiger from a lion, confuse leopards with cheetahs, and believe antelopes are just another kind of deer.  This ignorance isn’t harmless; it erodes...

  I have never been one for celebrity worship, a stance born not from contrarianism but from a constitutional inability to see a famous person as anything more than a beautifully wrapped, single-skilled parcel.  Sachin Tendulkar is a god with a bat and a mere mortal in all other departments. For me, the curious exception has always been Shah Rukh Khan. My admiration is not for the actor, but for the man off-screen—specifically, for his unvarnished, almost mathematical, acknowledgment of his own success. He can state, “ I am the biggest movie star in India, ” with the dispassionate certainty of a scientist reading a thermometer. It is a hard-hitting realism entirely devoid of the need for faux humility, a quality as rare as a quiet moment in a Bollywood potboiler. This SRK Principle of owning one’s space stands in stark contrast to the industry’s other favourite trope: the heir apparent. Consider the Abhishek Bachchans and the Rohan Gavaskars of the world. No matter their effo...

For years now, we have lamented the decline of reading habits among the younger generation. The blame often falls on technology—streaming services, social media, smartphones, and now AI—which, we argue, have left little to the imagination. At times, it appears we are witnessing the death of the printed word. But perhaps this narrative is incomplete. Perhaps, beyond pointing fingers at technology, we need to pause and ask ourselves: are we truly providing the kind of quality, engaging, and thought-provoking content that could rekindle the charm of books and print media?   The Impact of the Digital Age  It is undeniable that the rise of virtual media, rapid technological innovations, and the omnipresence of smartphones have transformed the way we consume information and entertainment. Long-form reading has faced competition from quick, visually stimulating content designed to provide instant gratification. For science fiction, fantasy, or thoughtful narratives, these fast-p...

Nearly two hundred thousand years ago, modern humans, Homo sapiens, first emerged in the savannas of Africa. At that time, they were not the only human species on Earth; several other human species were scattered across different parts of the globe. In Europe, there were the robustly built Homo neanderthalensis, or Neanderthals. Meanwhile, the mysterious Denisovans lived in the caves of Central Asia, and in Southeast Asia, the diminutive Homo floresiensis survived. The great human family thus consisted of several different species. When Homo sapiens began their journey northward and eastward out of Africa, they encountered these other humans. In the icy caves of Europe, they met the Neanderthals—strong and physically powerful, but fewer in number. In the mountainous valleys of Central Asia, the sapiens confronted the Denisovans. This is not just a story of competition or conflict—it is also a story of remarkable mixing. Modern genetic research has revealed that encounters between these...

Oh, absolutely—who needs books or thinking for themselves these days? Being “intellectual” is so passé! Let’s just celebrate mediocrity and worship stupidity, especially if it comes with a sparkly, consumer-friendly bow. But hey, call me old-fashioned, but I still cling to that cliché about class being permanent and darkness not lasting forever—how original of me, right? Reading today, is often perceived as a scholarly activity, primarily associated with the digestion of textbooks and academic materials. However, the act of reading encompasses a much broader spectrum, including fiction, non-fiction, historical accounts, and research-based works.  Ability to Think Between the Lines One of the most critical skills developed through extensive reading, particularly of literature that requires interpretation, is the ability to think between the lines. Engaging with complex narratives, whether from a novel by Jane Austen or a philosophical work by Jean-Paul Sartre, Ray's study on using i...

  Bhakt: Our Media this time ( 2025 Pakistan wa*r) has really gone overboard !. They have lost all credibility! Again, Bhakt: However, the Non-Bilogoical Superman has changed how the world used to perceive India. The world now respects our country like never before! Even this time, we have taught 'them' a lesson.  Me: Who told you?  Bhakt: Our Media!  ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ Bhakt: I know everything about Communism.  Me: How come?  Bhakt: My uncle was a Naxalite.    ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ T: I stopped the War, so I am the real Hero! M: I started the war, so I am the real Hero! Indian Army: And we were playing Ludo! ➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖ Bhakt: We won the War!  Normal People: Oh? Congratulations to the Indian army and us! But why did it come to this? Bhakt: Stupid anti-national, due to that horrific terrorist attack in Kashmir. Enough is enough! Normal people: What about them?  Bhakt: We are workng on it.  Norm...

Childhood is a sacred time meant for exploration, learning, and, above all, enjoying the simplicity of being young. Reality shows, in their quest for the most compelling content, may unwittingly pressurize children to adopt behaviors or attitudes that are beyond their years. Children’s reality shows are popular, but they often harm kids more than they entertain. Here’s why:   Robbing Kids of Their Childhood Childhood should be about playing, learning, and having fun—not performing for cameras. Many reality shows push children to act like adults, taking away their innocence. Kids should be allowed to be kids, not forced to impress judges or audiences. Capitalism Over Childhood  These shows care more about money than kids. TV networks want high ratings and sponsors, so they create drama and competition, even if it hurts the children. Instead of focusing on profits, these shows should protect kids’ mental and emotional health.   Too Much Pressure and Unhealthy Comp...