Once upon a time, Indian university campuses roared with slogans like "Inquilab Zindabad!" and "Hum laaye hain toofan se kashti nikal ke!". The walls of universities weren't just stone; they glowed red with the fire of ideas. BHU, Allahabad, Delhi, Lucknow – every campus buzzed with debates, and student leaders' speeches ignited passion. Today? Silence.

Student uprisings once shook Nepal, Bangladesh, and, decades earlier, Egypt. Governments toppled, but democracy never quite found its footing. Why then does democracy endure in India and the United States, while faltering elsewhere? The answer lies in one word… diversity.

My bag has been a trusted companion in my life—no ordinary bag, but a symbol of my personality, my thoughts, and my habits. For fifty years, it has been by my side—sometimes filled with books, sometimes with papers, and at other times, with dreams.

On the one hand, scientists at ISRO are striving to dock two satellites in space, while on the other, central and state governments are ensuring millions of sinners worldwide take a holy dip during the Kumbh Mela to purify themselves.

​The overwhelming desire to achieve the ‘Vishwa Guru’ status has reached an alarming level. The Modi government speeds forward like the Vande Bharat Express, bypassing the essential foundations that support meaningful growth. However, this trajectory will yield an incomplete and skewed development, primarily benefiting the upper middle class and capitalists, while the common man remains a passive recipient.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is no more. When I was very young, his signature was visible on the currency notes. An elder in the house had told me that the one whose signature is on the currency note is a very 'big' person. He is called ‘Governor’. I used to be very happy that someday I too would become 'Governor'. Then I’ll sit and sign all the currency notes. Well! This is a memory of my childhood.