Iam writing this from a closed room in West Delhi. The air filter hums tirelessly beside me, an N95 mask still clings to my face, and yet there is that never-ending smoky odour, the annual perfume of our national capital. While my throat continues to remain sore with a persistent cough not daring to step out. But as you step outside, you find the majority of the commuters red-eyed, many congested, clutching handkerchiefs or wearing masks. In hospitals, paediatric wards are overflowing. NGOs warn that children’s lungs are being scarred for life. Doctors speak of reduced immunity, heart ailments, and long-term respiratory distress. Yet, outside these sealed rooms and clinics, Delhi continues to choke, and nobody seems truly accountable.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) crossed 400 this week, off

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