India, Sept. 15 -- It was October 2023 when, on my phone screen, flashed two separate videos of life being snuffed out of two youngsters due to drug consumption. Someone had recorded them dying, and a politician from one of Punjab's opposition parties had posted the videos to highlight the sitting government's inefficiency in tackling drug addiction. His job for the day had been done. He had created content out of two young deaths, disregarded someone's privacy and dignity, and turned Punjab into a spectator to its own tragedy.

Personally, it was very disturbing to see young lives die this way, and the experience threw up three choices. The first was easy. To keep scrolling, move on to the next reel and forget those videos ever existed. ...