Actor
Sayani
Gupta
has
ignited
a
powerful
public
conversation
on
Mumbai’s
escalating
air
pollution,
voicing
a
frustration
shared
by
millions
across
the
city.
In
a
candid
and
deeply
personal
statement,
the
actor
detailed
her
health
struggles
since
returning
from
Goa,
drawing
attention
to
the
visible
and
invisible
toll
Mumbai’s
toxic
air
is
taking
on
its
residents.
“Ever
since
I’ve
gotten
back
from
Goa,
I’ve
been
unwell,”
she
shared,
explaining
how
what
began
as
throat
irritation
and
voice
loss
soon
worsened
into
severe
sinus
issues.
Her
condition,
she
said,
has
affected
both
her
daily
life
and
work.
“I
have
literally
not
opened
my
windows
because
of
the
AQI…
The
air
purifier
is
on,
which
I
hope
helps,
but
it’s
pointless.”
Check
out
the
post:
Sayani’s
comments
go
beyond
individual
discomfort,
they
echo
a
growing
civic
anxiety
around
rampant
construction,
unchecked
redevelopment,
and
the
steady
erasure
of
green
cover
in
urban
India.
She
questioned
the
relentless
push
for
infrastructure
at
the
cost
of
public
health,
pointing
out
that,
“we
are
not
just
covered
in
cement
and
dust
from
the
outside,
but
also
our
lungs
are
filled
with
dust.”
Referring
to
large-scale
deforestation,
including
conversations
around
clearing
the
Aravalis
and
the
ongoing
loss
of
natural
reserves,
Sayani
expressed
disbelief
at
policymaking
priorities.
“I
don’t
know
what
will
have
to
happen
and
how
many
people
need
to
die
literally
from
this
insane
AQI
for
them
to
stop
cutting
trees,”
she
said,
calling
out
both
institutional
apathy
and
rampant
greed.
Her
concern
extends
to
Mumbai’s
redevelopment
surge,
often
driven
by
commercial
interests
rather
than
public
need.
With
pollution
choking
the
city
and
its
people,
Sayani’s
plea
is
urgent
and
unfiltered
and
her
words
land
with
even
greater
weight
today,
as
she
acknowledge
the
crisis,
protect
the
environment,
and
talks
about
the
most
basic
human
right
which
is
the
right
to
breathe.