I woke up to a very fine morning today. It was foggy outside and I thought finally winters have arrived.When I looked out of my window instinctively the buildings were yet shrouded in fog. So,I thought why not have a stroll and watch the sun rise to it’s glory?
So, I started with my walk.In my mind I had this fantasy that today I will watch a sunrise akin to the one Shahrukh shows Kajol in My name is Khan. Sadly my bubble burst as I realised that this is Delhi not San Francisco and there would be no sunrise today cause it’s no fog but smog.There could have been no bigger heartbreak for me than this.
Delhi is not the city it used to be. It’s lungs are giving up and in spite of all the measures of the government, directions of the NGT and protest marches of people Delhi continues to cough heavy bouts of smog. The AQI shows that the residents of Delhi are being subjected to the smoke equivalent to 40 cigarettes everyday. The Indian Medical Association has declared a public health emergency and the government has declared holidays in school. Doctors are suggesting people to stay at home and fish out the Darth Vader masks from the corners of our wardrobes but neither of the above advices will reduce the misery of Delhi.The stubble in farmlands continue to burn in neighbouring states and vehicular emissions continue to choke Delhi further.
We the silent citizens of Delhi will continue to prod with our daily routine and share the WhatsApp videos of the pollution menace . We will join a few protest marches ,light a few candles each and show our solidarity on India Gate till the lungs of Delhi give up. We the proud Delhites would continue with our hashtag tweets even when we will be forced to carry oxygen cylinders on our backs.
I have done my duty by writing this post and Delhites you can do your part by putting on your masks, condemning the government and by forwarding the warning messages on WhatsApp while the burning question remains the same. Delhi had suffered a severe smog attack last year, the repercussions of which could be seen for months and it has hit us again this year but are we armed enough to fight it? What are we waiting for when our city is grappling with breathing issues? These times demand harsher decisions, stricter guidelines and greener surroundings. Since we can’t transplant the failing lungs of Delhi for a price ,we must try to revive it by vowing to shun bursting crackers in weddings, reducing a few hours of those long drives, sticking to metros and carpools for a while hoping that Delhi gets well sooner.
