India, May 4 -- The other day, while picking up my son from school, an ordinary afternoon took a nostalgic turn.

A group of men sitting on the roadside near Rakh Bagh on Ludhiana's Club Road with large cane baskets piqued my son's curiosity - and mine. We stopped to take a look. The baskets were full of vibrant red and yellow mulberries, their wriggly appearance amusing and fascinating to my little one. I bought him a handful and we resumed our journey home.

As he popped the sweet and tangy berries into his mouth, I found myself drifting down memory lane. I told him how, in my childhood, we never had to buy mulberries or even guavas, for that matter. Back then, these fruits were not meant to be bought, rather they hung freely from trees...