Backspace to a Beautiful Life

Do you remember life before the internet?

Yes, I do remember life before the internet—because I lived it. I’m a proud Millennial, an analog soul who tiptoed into the digital world holding floppy disks like they were sacred scrolls. While I embrace the marvels of the internet today (thank you, Google, for making me look smart), there’s a special kind of magic in those pre-Wi-Fi days—something that smells like ink, sounds like cassette tapes, and tastes like real conversations.

1. The Art of Waiting (And Not Complaining About It)

There was a time when we actually waited—for letters, for bus arrivals, for our favorite TV shows every week, and for our turn on the landline. And guess what? We survived!

“Patience was not a virtue; it was a lifestyle.”

You asked someone out by passing notes or making nerve-wracking landline calls hoping their parent didn’t pick up. If they said yes, you’d meet at 5 pm sharp, and you’d better show up. No texts, no excuses, no “I’m running 5 minutes late.” Just good old-fashioned punctuality—or panic.

2. Screens Were for Mosquito Nets

Our screens were filled with Doordarshan dramas, Sunday movies, and Chitrahaar. The only scrolling we did was with our fingers through the newspaper or flipping album pages to show guests.

Kids today: “What’s buffering?”
Us back then: “What’s internet?”

We waited a whole week to know if Shaktimaan survived. Now? Spoilers in seconds.

“Sometimes, the suspense was better than the story.”

3. Family Time Wasn’t Scheduled—It Just Happened

There was no ‘screen time management’ because we had more power cuts than power buttons. Our evenings were filled with carrom, anthakshari, and storytelling by grandparents whose memory was better than any search engine. Meals were noisy, laughter was loud, and if you wanted silence, you went outside and waited for the rain.

“We didn’t Google our doubts; we questioned the elders, and sometimes they bluffed with confidence.”

4. Friendships Had No Filters (Literally)

We didn’t post about our friendships; we lived them. We made plans, showed up, played outside till dusk, and shared secrets over Frooti. Our friend list didn’t have a scroll bar—it had school benches, neighborhood corners, and nicknames no one online would ever understand.

“Friendships were handwritten, not hyperlinked.”

5. Curiosity Had No Shortcut

If we didn’t know something, we had two options: ask someone older or look it up in an encyclopedia that weighed more than a toddler. Discoveries felt earned. We had to dig, not just click.

“Knowledge wasn’t instant, but it was unforgettable.”

6. Privacy Was Real

There were no digital footprints. If you did something silly, only a handful of people saw it—not the whole internet. No screenshots. No “cancel culture.” Just memories that faded or became legendary family gossip.

“What happened in childhood, stayed in childhood—unless your sibling was a tattletale.”

Thought to Ponder:

“The internet gave us information at our fingertips, but took away the innocence from our fingertips.”

So here’s to that beautiful, unfiltered, slow-cooked era. Where letters made hearts race, not notifications. Where mistakes weren’t viral, and memories weren’t stored in the cloud, but in conversations, laughter, and the smell of old photo albums.

Let’s not just scroll back. Let’s sometimes go back.

Because life before the internet wasn’t just offline—it was alive.