Bengaluru founder moves to polluted Delhi, says she feels ‘sick every time I step out’

Shradha Sharma said Delhi is quite close to her heart but during her stay in the city, she wakes up every morning with an irritated throat. (Image credit: @SharmaShradha/X)

As the national capital remains cloaked in toxic smog, YourStory founder Shradha Sharma, who recently shifted her base from Bengaluru to New Delhi, shared on social media that she feels “sick every time I step out” and called for citizen-led solutions.

“I have moved my base to New Delhi recently, a city very close to my heart. But I have been feeling really underwhelmed… I wake up every morning feeling my throat is scratchy. I feel sick every time I step out – and you can’t just stay at home in the air purifier all day," Sharma wrote on X.

Recalling her college years at St Stephen’s, Sharma said winters were once “beautiful” and foggy days were something to look forward to. “But it’s not the same anymore,” she wrote, adding that Delhi’s air has become a “real problem.”

Sharma described air pollution as an “existential crisis” and urged India’s startup community to step up: “We have the sharpest minds solving some of the most complex problems day in and day out. Can we take a few hours out and spend time brainstorming solutions for some of the most pressing challenges that we face as a society?”

She proposed a three-step plan and shared a form for interested participants to sign up:

1.) Brainstorm ideas in Delhi – no cameras, no audience.

2.) Compile solutions and present them to authorities, along with specific offers of help.

3.) Volunteer time and resources if authorities require support.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 269 at 7 am on Sunday, improving from 305 recorded at 4 pm on Saturday. Despite this, several areas remained in the ‘very poor’ category:

Shadipur: 335

Jahangirpuri: 324

Nehru Nagar: 319

RK Puram: 307

Dilshad Garden (Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences): 303

In contrast, Mandir Marg recorded the lowest AQI among major stations at 158, placing it in the ‘moderate’ category, ANI reported.