At Howrah Railway Station, where steel, smoke, and endless human movement merge into a world of noise and motion, Jack watches quietly. A working dog by duty, an observer by instinct, Jack moves through crowded platforms and restless nights alongside an unusual circle of companions: Zhou, a crow with a sharp tongue and sharper insight, and Biplab, a mechanic who finds poetry hidden beneath grease and machinery.

Together, they drift through conversations that are by turns humorous, philosophical, and unexpectedly tender — exploring loneliness, labour, memory, and the strange search for meaning in a world that rarely pauses long enough to ask questions.

More than a story, The Backpacker Dog of Howrah is an immersive journey into the overlooked corners of everyday life, where fleeting encounters and small acts of observation slowly reveal something profound.

Dr Rabinarayan Dash is a senior consultant rheumatologist practising in Sweden. Apart from being a reputed physician in his field, he is a prolific poet who has published poetry collections in English, Swedish and Oriya. His works have appeared in numerous literary magazines and newspapers. His recent work of fiction, A Peddler of Emptiness, was also published by Studera Press. He plans to continue writing novels. His other publications include Clinical Trials, Mirrored Dew, Butterfly Buddha, Dialogues with a Caged Parrot and Ghazals of an Eavesdropper.