Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Finding the White Tiger (Premium)

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hi, Thomas here. You're listening to a preview episode. You can enjoy the entire story tonight by subscribing to our supporters' feed. There you'll get access to the entire back catalogue, bonus episodes, and more, and it's all completely ad-free. Click the link below to learn more and thank you so so much. Me and the team really appreciate your support. Melanie wiped the sweat from her brow as she walked through Tareti Bazaar, a busy street market in central Kolkata, known locally as the old China market. Tareti Bazaar was established by Chinese immigrants in the 1800s. They brought much of their own culture to this lively corner of India.

Starting point is 00:01:14 With the smell of cooking wafting through the air, accompanied by hundreds of voices chatting, it has energetic today as it's ever been. Melanie couldn't help but notice the array ground, pulling out her camera. As Melanie affixed her lens, she caught sight of a woman walking past, wearing a vibrant green dress that danced around her limbs. And trance by the movement of the fabric, Melanie watched until the woman vanished between two stalls. She then noticed an older man, cooking fat dumplings in a round steel pan.

Starting point is 00:02:22 She smiled at the man and he nodded in response. With his permission she took pictures as the steam rose quickly, evaporating in the air. Even though she was tired from traveling, Melanie was absorbed in everything. Captivated by a world she had never experienced before. But although the bizarre was fascinating, it wasn't why she came to India. Instead, she was here to find something few people had ever seen. A rare, white, Bengal tiger roaming in its natural habitat. The orange sun was low in the sky by the time Melanie got back to her hotel. Her mind was filled with a thousand thoughts of the tiger she hoped to meet. Would it be big? Would it be big? Would it be wary?

Starting point is 00:03:48 Would she even see it at all? Once in her room, Melanie opened up her laptop and reviewed the photos she had snapped throughout the day. A young boy using a hose at the side of the road to fill a bowl of water for his dog. A man riding his bicycle while balancing a wooden crate filled with fruit on his head. An older woman smiling into the camera, using her hand to keep the sun out of her eyes. As a photographer, it was Melanie's passion to witness these beautiful and curious moments in people's lives. She was grateful for how they shared these pieces of themselves with her, and she always

Starting point is 00:04:50 did her best to honour their stories. At the end of each day, she would email the snapshots back to her boss at home in New York, along with a quick note about how the day had gone. Tonight she was excited. In her message, she told her boss that in the morning she would begin her search for the elusive white tiger. She would start by traveling to Dia Beach and make her way across the Bay of Bengal.

Starting point is 00:05:36 She finished sending the email and closed her laptop with a click. She put away her camera in its padded case and climbed into the comfortable bed. She laid back thinking about all of the things she had seen already. And it was only her first day in India. There would be so much more to explore over the coming week. But first, she had to get a good night's rest. She felt her eyelids grow heavy and let her head and neck relax into the pillow. With visions of a white tiger playing across her eyelids, she fell into a deep sleep. you

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Finding the White Tiger (Premium)

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