Srinagar, Aug. 16 -- The other day, I visited a school in Srinagar with a friend during lunchtime. We stepped into the office, expecting the usual bustle. Every teacher I saw had a phone in hand, scrolling endlessly, pausing occasionally to laugh at a video or glance at a social media post.

Then I noticed a teacher in the corner, absorbed in a book, the NCERT class 10 science textbook. He turned the pages with care, a slow light in his expression that no screen could replicate. I sat nearby, careful not to disturb him, watching him read.

When he stood and walked out, I followed. I asked him if he read physical books daily. "Yes," he said. "My students connect with me because I don't need my phone to answer their questions. They trust me...