“The world is the body, Delhi is its soul”, Mirza Ghalib wrote about his city, Delhi. The famed Urdu poet in Mughal durbar wouldn’t have imagined that the “soul” would gasp for breath under a morose, grey sky, each year as winter brought with it a shroud-like haze. Those who call Delhi home or once did, are agonised as the air quality index (AQI) shows how hazardous pollution is killing Delhiites breath by breath. From The City of Djinns writer William Dalrymple to Delhi girl Richa Chadha to Shikhar Dhawan who grew up playing gulley cricket in the city’s lanes, the lament was everyone’s.
Such is the toxic haze that normal life has been thrown out of gear. Schools have been shut and people have been asked to step out only if it’s unavoidable. The AQI is at a peak of 750, while some reports even claim it has exceeded 1,500.
Many experts, celebrities and Delhi residents remain concerned about the pollution crisis in the national capital of Delhi even as they express their exasperation on social media platforms. People want to live in a city where they can step out without fear of inhaling the most toxic air possible. The annual chokehold of smog on Delhi now has a name — ‘air-pocalypse’.
WHAT A FATE FOR THE CITY OF DJINNS, LAMENTS DALRYMPLE
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is one of Delhi’s temporary residents and must be feeling the contrast. The Congress leader is a Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, which sees much cleaner air.
Tharoor went on to the extent of suggesting that the capital be moved out of Delhi.
“Delhi is officially the most polluted city in the world, 4x hazardous levels and nearly five times as bad as the second most polluted city, Dhaka. It is unconscionable that our government has been witnessing this nightmare for years and does nothing about it,” he wrote on X.
“This city is essentially uninhabitable from November to January inclusive and barely liveable the rest of the year. Should it even remain the nation’s capital?”, he added.
Those returning to Delhi after a period of time, like writer William Dalrymple, were in for a rude shock.
“Just arrived back in Delhi to find the city embalmed in an all-enveloping burial shroud of pollution. Even at 2pm, it was impossible to see 100m across the runway. I’ve never seen anything like this in 40 years of living here. What a fate for the City of Djinns-still, at its best, the most fascinating of cities, but currently a tragic, choking death-trap,” he wrote on X.
Kaushik Basu, the former Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India, sought a plan and action to curb pollution.
“For any responsible government in India, the top priority should be pollution control in cities like Delhi. In addition to diminishing the quality of life, this kind of pollution, left unchecked, can bring India’s growth story to an end,” wrote Basu, connecting the toxic air to not just health but the economy too.
Basu suggested that it couldn’t be left to the local governments but needed a national plan.
China is one of the examples. Beijing cleaned its toxic air while India helplessly watches Delhi gasp for breath.
NIGHTMARE FOR YEARS AND NOTHING DONE
Cricketers and actors who grew up in the city of maharajahs and djinns also expressed their shock at the situation.
Both cricketers and actors have also taken to their social media to express their concerns about the hazardous air quality in Delhi.
“Delhi, is this your version of fog or are we just living in a giant ashtray now? Everyone, please stay safe, wear a mask! Requesting the government to take action so that we can breathe clean air,” wrote cricketer Shikhar Dhawan on X.
Actor Richa Chadha, who grew up and studied in Delhi, suggested how people need to seek change.
“The death sentence called life in Delhi… the city of my childhood, my school, my roots. Heartbreaking to see the apathy and sheer hatred for one-selves. Politicians will do nothing unless we learn to speak up for ourselves,” posted Chadha on X.
DELHI RESIDENTS IN AN AIR-POCALYPSE
But visitors and onlookers do not know half the suffering that residents feel each moment.
“It’s heartbreaking to see these kids doing physical activities when the AQI is over 1000. I’m not sure how this is even allowed. Please tag someone who can help ensure that outdoor physical activities in schools are paused until AQI returns to safe,” wrote Rajesh Rajput, a Delhi resident on X.
Warnings and caution have also come from doctors.
“Delhi’s air quality has reached hazardous levels, with pollution equated to smoking 40 cigarettes a day, reducing life expectancy and increasing cancer risks,” wrote Anusmita Mukherjee, a Delhi-based doctor.
People are even calling the smog Delhi’s own air-pocalypse
“South ex #Delhi #Airpocalypse sadly I don’t see a way out other than the way out of Delhi,” wrote a person on X.
While we do not know when the air-pocalypse will be over, we do know that it needs to be dealt with and until it is, residents and lovers of the city of djinns will mourn the loss of its soul.