AQI, I had never heard
this term while growing up because my ancestors gave us cleaner air when we
were kids. Over years the need for comfort and monitory profit took over and
started eclipsing the basic commonsense area. Eventually our generation grew
into adults and expedited the process of clouding the commonsense in the name
of “development”. And now, few decades later the term AQI became a commonplace
term. Air Quality Index; AQI. AQI is not a measure of the quality of air, it is
rather the new measure of how material success is kept above the basic need to
live. Or in stronger words, it is the measure of total lack of commonsense.
We are so engrossed in
our smart devices that we all fulfill our civic duty by forwarding the “grave
future” videos showing Air being so toxic that kids may have to live in bubble wraps.
We look at the screen in scare and say, this is coming in future, never do we
lift our head above the phone screen and look outside the window. Because if we did we will know that the view didn't show the future, it showed the present. Only difference is that
since we didn’t look outside so we did not bubble wrap our kids. And they
are exposed to toxins worse than the kind concentration camps during World War-II
were infamous for. Worse; as the World war-II gas chambers of Nazi era were
controlled facilities causing immediate death with in the chambers. Now the gas chambers are spread over
large cities with a promise of slow and painful death over time.
I know I am not talking
of where I live these days, I am in a better area where an AQI stays around 50 most days or lesser (unlike my friends from New
Delhi who live between 500 and 990 kind numbers).
 |
| Sky Line drive (Google Maps) |
This weekend I went to the
hills with my family to witness very beautiful fall colors and amazing
fall beauty. Other amazing thing to experience there was the air quality. With the flowing river
and a million trees the Air in that area is as pure as it can get. But then I
understood my mistake, I was driving a car running on fossil fuel and spewing smoke
from its exhaust. Agreed one car may not produce enough smoke to cause lasting
harm. But the Sun was bright and air was cool that day. That combination had invited
many like me. Just before I could enter the beautiful Skyline drive, there was
a line of vehicles, a few hundred ahead of me and the line continued to grow
behind me as well.
My Wife and I decided to
exercise some restraint and not follow the line (and cause more damage, by
being one of a few hundred cars driving at a slow speed through those beautiful
valleys).We can come some day when the cars are not as many and we can drive at
a decent speed thus staying in the valley for shorter time (and spewing lesser
smoke into those trees). The colors might not be at their peak, but we will
enjoy still. 
We just drove past the
line and then Nature, like a caring mother, invited us to a beautiful site off the
road just 15 minutes away. There was almost no traffic there. We parked our car
spent time basking in the beauty of sun filtering through the changing colors of the trees. Beauty of the
bend of the river through the valley and the soothing sound of water that was
cleansing and giving life at the same time. I was awestruck with the immaculate beauty of nature. I could feel the freshness of pristine air filling my lungs. And deep inside I was ashamed knowing that we (Humans) are responsible for turning
this earth from a paradise to hell in the name of development. I apologize to you Mother Earth for
myself and fellow humans, and hope good sense prevails. May the greed
and the race to decline in the name of development stops. May we humans prove
worthy of receiving the tremendous beauty and love and life that you offer.
Meanwhile to my friends
in Delhi, India and other so-called big Cities; wake up guys; do your part.
Don’t do it for the neighbors or the city or the name, just do it for yourself
and your kids. You all at least owe them that much. We all owe a lot to mother
earth. High time we wake up.
Good AQI is less than 50
– Don’t forget.
May our children have
clean air to breathe always!!!
