BREATHLESS IN DIWALI

A match-up between the right to breathe clean air versus religious freedom is a no-contest: clean air doesn’t win you votes, religious appeasement almost always does

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On Diwali night, as the clock struck midnight, sleepless and exasperated with the relentless firecracker noise, I rang up the local police station.

“Its past midnight and crackers are still being burst. Will you take action as per the Supreme Court guidelines please?” The voice on the line sounded fatigued: “Koshish karrahe hai sir par log sunte nahi!” (We are trying but people don’t listen). I almost felt sorry for the constable on the night beat. When citizens don’t seem to care, how do you enforce a court order that has mandated a 10 pm deadline for bursting firecrackers?

The next morning, while on my regular morning walk in the park, I could feel the toxicity in the air. Light autumn sunshine was replaced by a thick, black smog, the inevitable fallout of a night of festivity for some, misery for many others. So who does one hold accountable for the national capital being amongst the most polluted cities in the world where in Diwali week the air quality routinely takes a turn for the worse and only aggravates chronic respiratory illnesses?