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Synopsis What would life be without dreams? It would be dull and colourless, for sure. Dreams make an interesting subject-mysterious, exciting and esoteric. Reams and reams have been written on dreams and their interpretation, experts have opined in diverse manners on the subject of dream analysis, yet human beings continue to find new and exciting ways to solve this enigma and find meanings to their reverie. Dreams have fascinated the human mind for centuries and will continue to do so for many more. Ever since 5000 BC we have been delving into the world of sleep and trying to find answers or give meanings to the extraordinary visions that appear there. Some people earn their living selling dreams-through movies, some through predicting the meaning of dreams and yet others by writing volumes on dream analysis, but the fact remains tat this mysterious subject has a large enough interest element to arouse curiosity in every heart. Apart from being a very saleable substance, dreams have an enduring air of enigma and mysticism around them, which make them all the more alluring. Dreams have had a long list of practical benefits apart from hypothetical ones. The creative aspects of dreams are fascinating. Numerous music compositions, discoveries and ideas have been generated through them. Many important historical events have been forecast through dreams. They are also a method of psychological healing and often act as an outlet for repressed thoughts. "Dreams are the touchstones of our character," said Henry David Thoreau and he was not far from the truth. We all dream. Every night-as the light of consciousness is dimmed-we enter the realm of dreams. In this dream state, our imagination has a free run, with little or no interference from our conscious mind. In our dreams, we are capable of undertaking heroic acts, attaining fame and wealth and performing stupendous deeds that we cannot do in our waking hours. Dreams are our escape mechanism, they allow us to air our hidden feelings and desires, and they are our vents for frustrating circumstances in life. Just imagine how colourless our lives would be without the psychedelic carnival of dreams. Dreams are an intense experience for most of us. While some of us revel in them during nights, others immerse themselves in daytime reverie but no one would disagree that they are an interesting facet of life. To dream is natural-it is a universal experience. People of all cultures enter into the dream state when they sleep. Sleep research has shown that even animals dream. How we regard the dream, however, varies from culture to culture and from person to person. Unfortunately, most of us remain blissfully unaware of our dreams-we fail to remember them. Even if we do remember a dream, it is typically dismissed as meaningless and unimportant. For those of us who do place an importance on dreams, it still remains a mystery. So, what is a dream?