Actor Saiyami Kher took to Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday to raise the alarm about worsening air quality in Mumbai. Comparing it to the Covid-19 pandemic, the actor also pointed out that, unlike a virus, this time it’s the air that’s endangering lives. Richa Chadha agreed with her.
Saiyami Kher on poor Mumbai AQI
Saiyami posted a picture of her by the beach, wearing a mask. She wrote, “I started running a decade ago. Every morning, I’d find myself on Carter Road, chasing the ocean breeze. That wind is what made me fall in love with this city and running. I want to feel it again. And dystopian as it is, I put on a mask before lacing my shoes. It took me back to the pandemic. Except there’s no virus in the air endangering our life. The air itself could kill us.”
Adding that she feels like clean air has become a luxury, she wrote, “I never imagined a day when the very thing we breathe to survive would become a luxury. My doors and windows stay shut. I bought an air purifier. I moved my runs to a treadmill, staring at a wall instead of the sea. And it still isn’t enough.”
She also added, “Running is the thing that keeps me whole. It clears my head. It heals something in me that nothing else reaches. But now the act I built my life around feels like it’s quietly destroying me. Pollution is undoing what years of discipline and sweat and devotion built, one breath at a time.”
Saiyami ended her note with, “This isn’t seasonal anymore. It shouldn’t be political. But somewhere between the data and the denial, people like me are out there in masks, grieving a morning run, mourning a city we loved. Is basic accountability really too much to ask for?”
Richa Chadha agrees with Saiyami Kher
An X user wrote about Mumbai’s poor AQI and stated that no ‘significant’ celebrity has spoken out. They wrote, “That no significant celebrity in Mumbai, the city with the most star power in India, has spoken up about the air pollution is telling. It’s easier to buy air purifiers for yourselves and send the kids abroad than to squeak about your own city. This is a manmade tragedy. It can still be averted.”
Replying to them, Richa wrote, “Much gratitude for calling ALL of those who routinely stick their neck out insignificant 🙂 Thankfully one doesn’t need validation from your kind self to feel worthy.” She also re-shared Saiyami’s post on X, adding, “The very significant, smart and sweet Saiyami… speaking for all of Mumbai.”
Numerous people on the internet also seemed to agree with Saiyami, leaving comments like, “That’s exactly how every runner feels. And yes, the AQI is unbearable — the air quality is getting worse with each passing day. Each one of us is equally responsible,” and “It’s pathetic the way they are taking away our basic right to breathe. We need accountability in development and no cutting of trees.” According to AQI.in Mumbai’s air quality stands at an ‘unhealthy 154’ today.
