India, July 27 -- My neighbour bought a robot vacuum cleaner. "It cleans the house all by itself," he announced proudly.

The next week he bought a robot lawn mower.

The week after that, he proudly displayed a smart refrigerator that ordered groceries without speaking to a soul.

A month later I asked him, "Do you ever meet your neighbours?"

He looked puzzled.

"Why?" he asked. "Is there an app for that?"

That, unfortunately, is the story of modern civilisation.

There was a time when life itself demanded community. Villagers built each other's homes. Families gathered for meals. Festivals belonged to everyone. A neighbour's joy became our celebration. A neighbour's sorrow became our burden. Nobody survived alone because nobody wanted...