Shantanu Naidu, a close associate of the late industrialist Ratan Tata, has taken a trip down memory lane, reflecting on the joys of growing up in a time untouched by technology.

In a video posted to LinkedIn, Mr Naidu, now a General Manager at Tata Motors, dressed in corporate attire, sat down to put on his socks for work before taking viewers on a journey back to his generation’s carefree childhood. “Come walk with me to a time when technology didn’t plague us,” his caption read.

Speaking in Marathi, the 32-year-old fondly recalled when summer vacations were filled with laughter, outdoor games, and innocent mischief. “However childhood may have been, the best thing about our generation was that there wasn’t a single phone,” he shared.

He painted a vivid picture of summer vacations spent running through different alleys, playing games like “dabda ispice, chor-police, and hide-and-seek”. 

“Someone would always be complaining to their mom about being troubled by other kids – that was me,” he admitted with a chuckle.

Evening prayers at 7 pm marked the end of playtime, but he fondly remembered how his friends would hide him so well that his mother couldn’t find him. “Of course, that meant a severe scolding at home later,” he recalled fondly.

The mischief didn’t end there. He recounted the thrill of “stealing mangoes and blackberries, chasing butterflies, racing bicycles, and debating which cycle had gears or which motorcycle could best pretend to be a Neeta Volvo bus.”

“It is my generation’s biggest privilege that we didn’t have phones. And yet, all the memories are fresh pictures in our minds,” Mr Naidu reflected, grateful for having experienced childhood free from digital screens.

“Childhood would have been destroyed by phones. And now that we are adults, adulthood is getting destroyed by them. But those were truly the days. What fortune to have grown up without phones,” he recalled.

His reflections struck a chord with many on LinkedIn. 

A comment read, “It’s funny how sometimes you have no photos or videos of the memories you cherished the most. They are all just memories in your head.”

Another user wrote, “What wonderful insights, Shantanu Naidu… connects with our childhood days so well. What a fortune to live without phones.”

Someone added, “Seriously, Shantanu Naidu sir, we are very lucky to have childhood memories like this.”

Shantanu Naidu was appointed as General Manager and Head of Strategic Initiatives at Tata Motors last month. He is the fifth generation of his family to work in the Tata Group.