Delhi’s festive season means many things: Lights, joy, sweets, and, of course, our most devoted seasonal visitor — pollution . The capital is now enveloped in a poisonous blanket that is thicker than the fog, even before the winter has properly come. In this gas chamber, suffocation and celebration coexist.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) has steadily increased from poor to catastrophic this year. Authorities, seemingly taken aback, have enforced GRAP-3 and GRAP-4 regulations when the numbers officially surpassed 400. GRAP-3 is activated when the AQI exceeds 400, and GRAP-4 is implemented when it crosses the 450 mark. At that point, trucks are stopped, schools begin to close, construction stops, older cars are prohibited, and everyone suddenly realises that air pollution is an issue. We see

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