Spice of Life: Looking up into the night sky that belonged to stars

Long before smartphone screens stole our wonder, the nocturnal sky offered a timeless canvas of life lessons.

Not so long ago, nights were not spent staring into the blue glow of smartphone screens until mental exhaustion set in. Such were my thoughts the other evening as I reminisced about an era devoid of the internet and mobile phones. The childhood years of my generation were much simpler, yet far more enriching than anything today’s technology can offer our children.

Before long, our eyes would wander upward to the magnificent canvas of the night sky, studded with countless stars. They gently twinkled—not in the exaggerated fashion of old Doordarshan cartoons, but with a serene spell that was far more mesmerising than anything on television. (Representational image)

In the summer, we slept on open rooftops and in courtyards, relying on a pedestal fan and a desert cooler to beat the heat. I fondly recall those precious hours before slumber took over, listening to my late father recount endless anecdotes about his own childhood in the village.

Before long, our eyes would wander upward to the magnificent canvas of the night sky, studded with countless stars. They gently twinkled—not in the exaggerated fashion of old Doordarshan cartoons, but with a serene spell that was far more mesmerising than anything on television.

It was on one such night that my father introduced me to the world of constellations. I distinctly remember spotting Dhruv Taara (the Pole Star), fixed and unmoving. My father urged me to grow up as steadfast and determined as that star. From there, we traced an imaginary line to Saptarishi (Ursa Major), a cluster of seven stars resembling a giant kite. On subsequent nights, I spent hours searching for the bow-and-arrow shape of Sagittarius, while the luminous arm of the Milky Way swept across the heavens—a true sight to behold.

The wonders of stargazing kept unfolding. In 1986, Halley’s Comet swept past Earth, visible to the naked eye. Witnessing a celestial visitor that returns only once every 76 years remains etched in my memory. Another time, after reading in our geography textbook that Venus was visible before dawn above the eastern horizon, I woke up early just to savour the heavenly spectacle.

I hope today’s generation rediscovers the cosmic canvas that envelopes us every night. No screen and no amount of technology can ever rival the quiet majesty of the night sky.

The writer is a Jalandhar-based psychiatrist and can be reached at gulbaharsidhu@rediffmail.com