The message in toxic air & monsoon deluge

India’s gains on the economic front face a challenge from the impact of the climate crisis

- Shashi Shekhar

The Sun God failed to keep his date with devotees in Delhi last Tuesday. Thick smog played spoilsport on Chhath, when the Sun is worshipped. Thousands of women observing a 36-hour fast without even taking a sip of water were left disappointed. The Sun couldn't be sighted from the ghats of Yamuna at dawn, with its rays failing to penetrate the toxic haze that had pushed Delhi’s air quality to the “very poor” zone. The deterioration of air quality that began around Diwali persisted.

Chhath without clean air and bright sunshine is unthinkable. I wish to salute the humane flexibility in Indian traditions. It is determined to appease the believers. People faced the direction of setting and rising sun and offered water and tributes to the deity.

To the uninitiated, Chhath is a unique expression of India's religious and spiritual traditions that has for centuries seamlessly blended social cohesion and natural beauty. The offerings during sun worship are all sourced from native crops. Social divide dissolves on this day in the religious fervour, and people from all sections pray in unison for the well-being of everyone.

However, prayers aren't enough. We humans aren't only guilty of tearing apart our but also brutalising the natural bounty so generously offered to us.

Chhath in Delhi is a mere example of the larger unfolding story.