India, Aug. 10 -- Not so long ago, nights were not spent staring into the blue glow of smartphone screens until mental exhaustion set in. Such were my thoughts the other evening as I reminisced about an era devoid of the internet and mobile phones. The childhood years of my generation were much simpler, yet far more enriching than anything today's technology can offer our children.

In the summer, we slept on open rooftops and in courtyards, relying on a pedestal fan and a desert cooler to beat the heat. I fondly recall those precious hours before slumber took over, listening to my late father recount endless anecdotes about his own childhood in the village.

Before long, our eyes would wander upward to the magnificent canvas of the night...