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Journalism of Courage
As Delhi continues to face hazardous pollution, a Reddit post has struck a nerve online, revealing how those in power experience the city’s toxic air differently. According to the user, a senior government official they met last week had a portable purifier running inside his official car, and another one humming right next to his desk.
“We aren’t even breathing the same air anymore,” the Redditor wrote, sharing a photo from the office.
Outside, the Air Quality Index (AQI) hovered over 500, the user said, pointing out the contrast: while residents battle burning throats, endless coughing and stinging eyes, powerful decision-makers move through sealed, purified bubbles.
“It made me think: the people who have the power to change things aren’t actually living in the same air as the rest of us,” they added.
The post goes on to highlight how officials and the wealthy rarely face the brunt of Delhi’s pollution, cushioned by air purifiers in their homes, offices and even their cars. For them, the crisis becomes something to acknowledge in meetings, not something they personally endure.
“And maybe that’s why urgent action never happens,” the user wrote. “If the problem isn’t affecting them personally, how real does it feel?”
“It’s a strange feeling realising that even something as basic as the air we breathe isn’t shared equally anymore,” the post concludes, before the user admits they now have “no hope from this state, from this country anymore.”
We aren’t even breathing the same air anymore
byu/IllPomegranate368 indelhi
The post has since gone viral, drawing thousands of upvotes and a wave of reactions.
One commenter wrote, “Cheapest thing in India is dignity and life of a common man.”
Another added sarcastically, “Second class citizens bana gaya re apun (We’ve been turned into second-class citizens).”
A third user pointed out the irony of the situation: the officials’ salaries and perks come from taxpayers, while pollution is largely created by wealthier groups with multiple vehicles and large construction projects. “Ah how wonderful,” they remarked.
Someone else commented, “Also note that these purifiers at home or personal spaces especially are bought by the money from corruption, again our own money.”
