Let's buy air-purifiers!

Air Pollution in Delhi - (image from Huffington Post)

“People with young children are reluctant to move to Delhi.”  - my European colleague confessed.
“Delhi is now one of the most polluted cities in the world and everybody is concerned about the impact of pollution on health.”

I nodded in agreement. The word is out. Almost all expats working in Delhi, especially those with foreign missions and embassies are asking for their office and residences to be fitted with air purifiers. Many organisations and governments have already have agreed to their demands.

We have done the assessment of air quality in our offices and outside and it is confirmed that the air contains several times more than the permissible quantity of PM2.5 and other harmful gases. Air purifiers for our office are on their way.

In our growing years, we never realised the need of water purifiers. We grew up in small towns never bothered about the quality of the water that we drank. The water tasted great, and, even if, we fell ill sometimes, the doctor did not force us to install a water purifier. Our water was clean and potable. Today, water purifiers are in every household that can afford them. The air-purifiers may be soon be ubiquitous in Delhi households.

Rich people have several options to deal with the hazard that they have created. But those with poor income have no option other than to suffer from havoc caused by luxuries and greed of rich people.

Protecting common people’s interest is government’s responsibility. However, day by day deteriorating quality of air and water is not yet seen as a challenge that need comprehensive intervention by our government. 

Craving for Clean Air in Delhi

Most men racing towards 40s spend a lot of time thinking about the increasing waist size and receding hairlines. One cannot do much (yes, wigs and hair transplants are always considered) about the receding hairline but there are a few things that they can do about the increasing waist size. jogging and running are supposed to the most popular and easy options. 

Every day, at the time of getting dressed for office, my waist reminds me of the promises that I have made to myself. The promise to run or jog to burn the fat that make me look like a python that swallowed a goat. I want to be honest to myself but there are several challenges. 

In Delhi, there are not many places where you can run or jog without consistent threats of a rich kid with big car and tiny civic sense running over you. The public parks and running tracks are luxury for most common men. Luckily, I live close to (close enough to reach there with a 10 minutes walk) a public park. But, for that one needs to get up by 6 pm. There is no shame in accepting that I am not one of those morning persons. Getting up at 6 pm does not come naturally to me. It is a rather forced and unpleasant thing. Post 6 pm, I do not want to take that 10 minute walk to the park; the smoke and the traffic threaten me to a level that I would prefer dying as fatso than walking. 

So far, I have not been able to jog or run for more than once or twice in a month. Recently, I did all the hacking of mind and motivational nudges to make myself up for the challenge of morning jog. I have started jogging.. well.. I have done it for a couple of times to be exact. But I might be switching to running on a treadmill in gym. Delhi air quality is getting worse and worse every day. I was under the impression that I am running in clean air but that was just an illusion in absence of information. 

I hate running indoors. Nothing can compare running with trees by your side and morning wind hitting your face. Sadly, it seems that if I want to run in not so polluted environment I have to switch to gyms fitted with air purification systems and use a treadmill. 

We need to be more conscious of our lifestyle and economic growth. We are paying a horribly high price for our luxuries, egos and greed.