India, Aug. 31 -- Certain sights, sounds and scents transport me instantly to my childhood village. The earthy aroma of water from an earthen pitcher, the rhythmic swish of a wooden madhani churning curd or the fragrance of freshly roasted popcorn can carry me back more than half a century. At 61, I realise these are not merely memories of another era; they are reminders of a way of life that quietly taught us contentment, self-reliance and the value of relationships.

Village mornings unfolded without alarm clocks or mobile phones. We woke to the crowing of roosters, the chirping of sparrows and the lowing of cattle. Nature set the rhythm for the day. Women walked together to the village well or baoli, balancing earthen pitchers on their...