COST OF EVERY BREATH

Pollution has turned ordinary living into an expensive exercise in survival

- TRISHNA SARKAR

One day this winter, as I climbed a familiar footbridge on my way to a metro station in Delhi, I felt a sudden tightness in my chest. The air seemed heavier than usual, compressing my lungs. Halfway up the stairs I had to stop, not from exertion, but because breathing had become difficult. I stood gripping the railing, watching commuters moving through a grey fog we have come to accept as normal. When I resumed walking, one thought kept returning: I should have taken a cab instead. That thought has become persistent. Since pollution levels spiked this winter, I have been spending ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 a month on taxi rides—not for comfort, but to avoid air that now feels hostile. The irony is in trying to protect my health, I am contributing to the very pollution choking the city.