India, Nov. 13 -- The simple shopping street of Khasa near the Wagah-Attari border lives warmly in my heart thanks to the array of memories it brims with from my childhood in the early '90s.

Back then, we lived in a joint family with our house on the main street. As a child, I frequented its shops during the day and unwittingly created a treasure trove of sweet memories.

Once a sleepy avenue with few vehicles plying on it barring the packed buses, today it has become a busy road like everywhere else. Three grand peepal trees along the street bear witness to not only its present but also its quieter past, and its many characters.

For me, it was the Champs Elysees, the Times Square, and the Sector 17 where I came to buy humble snacks fro...