Sold to the Highest Bidder: The Right to Breathe

The Price of a Breath

In New Delhi, the air tastes like burnt rubber. It is thick. It is gray. It burns your eyes as soon as you step outside. On December 20, amidst this choking fog, a shiny event took place. A European company called Zonair3D launched a new product. They sell machines that clean the air. Their slogan says, "Clean Air Is a Right, Not a Luxury." But looking at the price tag, we must ask: Is it really a right? Or has breathing become a luxury only the rich can afford?

The Tale of Two Cities

Let us look at two different lives in the same city. They live only 5 kilometers apart, but their worlds are totally different.

Mr. Kapoor lives in a big bungalow in South Delhi. He was at the launch event. He wore a suit. He drank expensive juice. He listened to the foreign CEO talk about "pure air bubbles" and "advanced technology." Mr. Kapoor ordered three machines for his home immediately. He wants his family to sleep in air as clean as the Swiss Alps.

Raju lives in a small room in a slum near the Yamuna river. The walls are made of tin sheets. There is no door, only a curtain. Raju does not know what Zonair3D is. He only knows that his 6-year-old daughter, Pinky, stopped playing three days ago. She cannot catch her breath. Her chest whistles when she sleeps.

"Every night I listen to her chest. It sounds like a broken whistle. I am scared to fall asleep. What if the whistle stops?" — Raju, Father and Daily Wage Worker.

The Emergency at Midnight

While Mr. Kapoor’s new machines were being installed, humming silently to kill the dust, Raju was running. It was 2:00 AM. The smog outside was so heavy you could not see the streetlights. Pinky woke up gasping. She was fighting for air like a fish out of water.

Raju wrapped her in a thin blanket. He put her on his cycle rickshaw. He pedaled hard. The cold wind hit his face, full of smoke from burning trash nearby. His legs hurt, but his heart hurt more. He had to reach the government hospital.

When he reached the hospital, he saw the truth of our nation. There were hundreds of people. Mothers holding babies. Old men coughing blood. They were all there for the same reason: The Air.

Inside the Government Hospital

Dr. Sharma looked tired. He had been working for 18 hours. He looked at Pinky. He put a mask on her face. It was an old nebulizer machine. It made a loud noise.

"There are no beds," the nurse said. "Hold her in your lap and sit on the floor."

Raju sat on the cold floor. He looked around. He saw a poster on the wall that said "Swachh Bharat" (Clean India). He looked at his daughter's blue lips. He felt angry.

In the posh bungalow, Mr. Kapoor’s monitor showed the air quality was "Excellent." In the hospital corridor, the air quality was "Severe." The smoke from outside came in through the broken windows.

Why Is This Happening?

This is not an accident. This is a crime. The government knows the air is bad. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) puts out data every day. They say the numbers are "Hazardous." But what do they do?

1. Construction Dust: Big buildings are built without covering the dust. The dust flies into our lungs.
2. Vehicle Smoke: Old trucks run on the roads at night, spitting black smoke. No police stops them if they pay a bribe.
3. Burning Trash: In Raju's slum, the municipality does not pick up trash. So, people burn it to stay warm. The plastic smoke is poison.

"They tell us not to burn wood for heat. But they don't give us heaters. They don't give us electricity. Do they want us to freeze or choke? We have to choose one." — An elderly woman at the hospital.

The Business of Breathing

Companies like Zonair3D are not the villains. They are just selling a solution. But their arrival proves a sad truth: The government has failed to protect our air. Because the government failed, private companies are now selling us what nature gave us for free.

If you have money, you buy a machine. You live.
If you are poor, you depend on the government. You suffer.

The Morning After

By morning, Pinky was stable. The medicine opened her lungs a little. Raju carried her back home. The sun was trying to shine through the grey fog. It looked like a dim orange bulb.

Mr. Kapoor woke up fresh. He told his wife, "The air felt so light last night. Best sleep I've had in years."

Raju bought a small packet of milk for Pinky. It cost him 20 rupees. That was half of what he earned yesterday. He looked at the sky and folded his hands. He was not praying. He was begging. Begging for a strong wind to blow the smoke away. Because he cannot afford a machine from Europe. He can only afford hope.

VOTE4NATION VERDICT

This is a medical emergency. Air pollution is not just about bad weather. It is killing our children. The government cannot just track the AQI numbers. They must act. We demand strict bans on industrial pollution and better waste management in slums. Clean air is indeed a human right, as the company says. But it should be free, not sold in a box.

Do not let them sell you your own breath.

Story from real incident happened in India.