A submarine dives into uncharted ocean depths... powered by electricity in 1870, when batteries were barely a thing. Aliens invade with tripod death machines... inspiring real rockets to the Moon. A zombie zap with lightning... now saving hearts in hospitals. Hold on, what if I told you these ‘wild’ stories didn't just entertain? They blueprinted our world. When stories dream big, science snaps awake, and reality plays catch-up. Ideas crash the party first, tools trailing behind.

In North India, the veil, aka Ghoonghat, is more than a tradition; it is a question mark placed over a woman’s very identity. This is the story of a silent revolution, the journey of one woman from a muffled existence to quiet liberation, where education and self-worth finally dismantled the barriers of the cloth.

When the ageing, grandstanding statesman invoked peace from a Nobel podium, his true meaning was war. This Orwellian doublespeak has become the native tongue of a trumpet-blowing democracy that has perfected the art of diplo-bullying.

Last week, during my morning walk, I suddenly ran into Bhatia ji. Age had taken its toll, his gait had slowed to a thoughtful pause, and there was a strange sense of relief in his eyes. As we talked, I learned that after 42 long years, he had finally packed up for good and bid farewell to America. The reason was simple: in his sunset years, the fragrance of his hometown's soil had pulled him back.

What happened to that trademark bravado? The Donald Trump who stormed back into the White House promising to end wars in 24 hours, why has he gone strangely quiet as 2025 draws to a close? Was all the bluster just policy? Was the chest-thumping confused for real diplomacy? Or was the entire strategy built on disruption without any real follow-through? The million-dollar question: has the world simply tuned him out?

On the last morning of 2025, as winter fog still hangs over the industrial estate, Jagan Nath lifts the shutter of his small factory. Inside are familiar smells of oil, iron and sweat, an office with computers, and display boards. At home, his wife Rajni has already put the kettle on. Between packing tiffins, checking her children’s school messages and tending to ageing parents, she listens to the news playing softly in the background. Words like economy, technology, AI and future float into the room. They sound big. Distant. Yet somehow personal. Meanwhile, 85-year-old grandpa is discussing politics with his friend on mobile, as his toothless wife counts tablets and capsules neatly lined up. Daughter and son, Radhika and Navin are discussing party ideas on the dining table.