Unlike a decade ago, terms like Air Quality Index (AQI), particulate matter, and AQ sensors have become a part of everyday vocabulary in almost all Indian cities today. The rising threat of air pollution makes it all the more important to generate greater awareness about its causes, manifestation and impact on people at large. Being informed is the first step towards playing an active part in finding and implementing solutions towards cleaner air. Sarath Guttikunda, Founder/Director of UrbanEmissions believes that awareness creation on air quality should start as early as in schools. UrbanEmissions is a think tank that primarily focuses…

Thirteen-year-old Rohan (name changed), a little shy and very happy, envelops his mother in a spontaneous bear hug as three of his teachers and therapists compliment and tease him playfully. We are at Rohan’s house in one of the bylanes of a bustling informal settlement in Dharavi. His mother, Mayadevi Jagannathan, cradling a two-year-old daughter, beams proudly as she says that now Rohan even helps her by keeping an eye on his younger siblings. This is significant for Mayadevi and Rohan’s therapists. Born with intellectual disabilities, he has come a long way, from not attending school as a child to now…