Fading art of keeping a diary

Until a few years ago, the approach of New Year triggered a predictable rush for crisp, ribbon-bound diaries; today that excitement has evaporated.

- ANISHA KHATUN, OP

Paper diaries haven't just lost casual users—they’ve been demoted to branded swag. Digital calendars, note apps, and to-do software now handle the scheduling and reflection once entrusted to bound pages. So the only steady demand left comes from companies ordering leather-stamped notebooks as conference freebies.

Diary writing, once an intimate ritual, is slowly fading into the shadows of a digital age obsessed with speed and spectacle. There was a time when diaries were sacred companions, quiet witnesses to first loves, unspoken fears, small triumphs, and long nights of self-discovery. Each page carried the weight of honesty, each sentence written without the pressure of likes, shares, or validation. The diary asked for nothing but truth.