India, July 22 -- By Dr. R. Balasubramaniam

There was a time when the very mention of a flight filled me with a quiet thrill. As a young man, the idea of being lifted into the sky felt like a small miracle granted to ordinary mortals. I would reach the airport hours in advance, not out of anxiety but out of sheer eagerness, wanting to soak in every moment of the adventure. The smell of the terminal, the announcements over the speakers, the sight of aircraft taxiing slowly on the runway, all of it seemed to belong to a world far grander than the one I had left behind that morning.

In those days I packed light and travelled lighter in spirit. A window seat was a prize worth fighting for and I would press my face against the glass like a c...