Bursting crackers wearing a mask

Imagine when a truck passes by and all of a sudden you’re engulfed by a cloud of dust and instinctively you cup your hands over your nose and mouth. Imagine that same intensity of dust 24x7 and in your entire city.

Imagine a colleague in your sealed 4th Floor AC office coming to you and saying she can feel smog inside the office and that her eyes are burning.

Imagine several people coughing all of a sudden, unstoppably and intensely, imagine doctors telling parents their kids have developed lifelong respiratory concerns due to this pollution.

Imagine schools being shut down, friends reaching out suggesting staying locked inside your home, the government discussing banning half the cars on the road yet again.

Imagine human beings who have lived through this just last year still going out and bursting crackers like crazy just a month ago!

Imagine having all kinds of analysis of why this happens like crop burning and industrial pollution and vehicles and crackers and yet not doing anything for a whole year!

Imagine the frustration and sense of resignation when you realise all you can do is write a social media post asking others to imagine!

That’s Delhi right now!