- 1 day ago
This special report features content creators Saloni Gaur, Nishchay Varma, Nirbhay Garg, and Vasu Sharma, who are using social media, music, and satire to protest India's severe air pollution crisis and perceived government inaction. Comedian Saloni Gaur states, 'I want the government to stop and think. I mean, they are not even addressing the issue. They are not even claiming that something like this has happened'. The programme explores how these young Indians are channelling their frustration into a viral online movement, using reels and songs to highlight the health crisis. They discuss whether this digital activism can translate into meaningful change, questioning why the public and political response remains muted despite the worsening air quality each year, turning a serious health issue into a subject of dark humour and artistic expression.
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00:00But let's not fool ourselves. Pollution is not a laughing stock. It's a life-altering crisis.
00:06For Gen Z, for millennials, this isn't politics. This is personal.
00:10It's their lungs. It's their childhood outdoors.
00:13Their morning run, their commute, their future, their game, their communication, their socials all put together.
00:20And then a generation that has grown up online starts turning creatively into a protest
00:25when memes become messaging, when reels become resistance, it tells you something, doesn't it?
00:32It tells you they are done waiting for governments to fix it.
00:35It tells you they are taking control of the narrative.
00:38And it tells us very clearly that the cost of inaction is no longer invisible.
00:44So today on the programme, we meet these young Indians.
00:48The one who are remixing rage into art.
00:52Remixing humour into activism.
00:54And pollution into a protest movement you cannot ignore.
01:00So let's begin. Let me introduce our guests first up.
01:03Joining me on the programme today is Saloni Gaur, comedian and content creator.
01:08Hi there.
01:09Hi there, Saloni. Thanks so much for being here.
01:11Also with us in the studio is Nish Chai Verma, content creator.
01:14You just saw his piece on our screens as well.
01:18And also with us today is Nirbhai Garg here already with his guitar.
01:23And Vasu Sharma, who is in Mumbai as we speak.
01:27And like, because this is a problem which is not just about Delhi.
01:31So it's really lovely that we've got this band of boys which are both in Delhi and Mumbai.
01:37And we'll go across to them as well.
01:38But let me first go to Saloni.
01:41Saloni, every time one looks at a meme or a satire or a piece which stings politically
01:50or which perhaps stings you in a way where you don't know whether you should laugh or cry.
01:55I wonder if, what is the reaction that you want your audience to take away from it?
02:02Because many will say, it's made a mess of pollution.
02:06No, the one thing that most of the people in my comment section were saying,
02:11why didn't you say it before?
02:12But I'll tell you that my career started with a video of pollution.
02:18The only video which went viral for the first time was about pollution.
02:22And that was what I did before too.
02:23It's not about that you're talking about when you're talking about it.
02:26The important thing is that you're talking about now.
02:29Now everyone is buying air purifiers.
02:33Everyone is sick or sick or sick of the person.
02:37But you're still thinking about that you didn't say it before, you didn't say it now.
02:42And honestly, I was sitting at home and I was making a video, but hats off to these guys.
02:46These guys put their lives in danger.
02:48These guys were on the sidewalk, they were on the terrace.
02:50So, I mean, what I want, the reaction that I want is, you know, people should stop and think and, not even just people, I want the government to stop and think.
03:00I mean, they're not even addressing the issue, they're not even claiming that something happened.
03:07The problem is that.
03:08And since you've been doing this for several years now, it's a career out of pollution, if that's what I'm getting right here.
03:15Which is, we're laughing about it, yes, but very, very worrying to sort of even think about.
03:21Have you noticed any change over the years?
03:24No, I think the only change is that it has worsened.
03:28I mean, nothing is good, it's bad too much.
03:32Before that, in any pollution, I didn't feel any change in my mind, because I am lucky that my job is, you know, I don't get to travel that much.
03:44I can do it by sitting at home, I'm lucky that way, but this time, I was somewhere out, and I came back to Delhi, when all of this pollution was happening, and I suddenly realized that we're living in a gas chamber.
03:57I don't know, I mean, the problem is that the government doesn't show pollution because of pollution, it's just so hazy, that they can't see it.
04:09It's just so hazy that they can't see it.
04:12But, Nishche, you've also been making content on pollution for several years now, right?
04:18And every year, you do like a different song that comes out, and every year, you go with this stoic face.
04:25And you go to different places.
04:28I seriously want to know that we talk a lot about pollution, but do they do it for that?
04:37Like, I genuinely want to know, when the protest happened, I was there at India Gate, and I saw a lot of young people, I saw some older people with their kids, etc. as well.
04:46But how many of them were wearing a mask?
04:47So I wonder sometimes, if people care about pollution just enough to talk about it, or enough to do something about it?
04:58I guess we don't have any solution to this now.
05:02I mean, there's no choice now.
05:04Now, just to talk about it, there's no solution left.
05:07We have to do something.
05:08What do we do?
05:09What do we do?
05:10Because, being an artist, I can only speak on the song or on social media.
05:16And I can influence a lot of people around me, who follows me, or who watches me over the internet.
05:22But, there's no choice now.
05:24I mean, you either close your eyes on your eyes, because you don't see yourself.
05:28You don't see yourself.
05:29You don't see yourself.
05:30You don't see yourself.
05:31You don't see yourself.
05:32And, as I wrote a line in my song, how do I take a deep breath in stress?
05:37Because I take a deep breath in stress, then I will get more stress.
05:41So, I guess, we don't have any choice now.
05:44Read a line that you wrote.
05:46So, it says,
05:48I don't have a cigarette, I don't have a drink.
05:51But, my lungs are defective.
05:53And, I don't have an adventure sports.
05:55I don't have a shock.
05:56But, my mouth is playing.
05:57And, I'm looking at AQI.
05:58And, I'm looking at AQI.
06:00I'm looking at a fresh air IPO.
06:04Fresh air IPO?
06:05When will the election will come to fresh air?
06:08I think that's what I'm waiting for.
06:09And, on that note, let me bring in Nirbhai and Vasu as well.
06:14Now, Nirbhai and Vasu are both, you know, have been making songs.
06:19They have one that has already come out.
06:21One that is now going viral from a previous year as well.
06:24So, in this very convoluted world of social media,
06:26everything is coming to fore.
06:28And, hashtag pollution is coming out.
06:30Which tells me that people care.
06:32People are watching.
06:34On my family, WhatsApp group, also everybody is saying,
06:36what's happening in Delhi?
06:38But, how many of them are wearing a mask?
06:40How many of them are doing the right things?
06:42That I always wonder.
06:44When you guys put out this video for the first time,
06:47was the reaction funny?
06:50Was the reaction what to do?
06:53Like, helpless?
06:55Or, was the reaction angry?
06:58Our motivation to make this song was that we were fed up.
07:02Vasu was coming from Himachal.
07:04I was coming back from Uttarakhand.
07:06Around the same dates.
07:07And, the moment we entered the NCR zone.
07:10Let's say Chandigarh.
07:12So, there was a curtain of smoke that we went through.
07:14Our buses went through.
07:16And, that was for both of us.
07:18So, we were really angry.
07:19That, okay.
07:20Now that I have stepped into this music thing.
07:22And, Vasu was already an established musician.
07:25So, he decided that we have to do something.
07:28And, then we sat and within two days,
07:30we made this music and this song.
07:32Yeah.
07:33That was the Mairi song.
07:34No, that was the
07:36other version.
07:38The other version.
07:39The other version.
07:40Because I come from a Sufi background.
07:42Okay.
07:43So, I have been doing Sufi music.
07:44So, that was the Kavali version.
07:45That was the Kavali version in 23.
07:46Then, we made another in Mairi.
07:47In 2024.
07:48Yeah.
07:49So, you will also make it for 25.
07:51We are building songs.
07:53We are talking about content creators.
07:55We are talking about careers.
07:57We are talking about people's careers.
07:58Every year, we are talking about pollution.
08:00But, where is the solution?
08:03Are you guys as frustrated as I am?
08:06Or am I just…
08:07Is my algo rigged as they say?
08:09And I am only seeing it.
08:10No.
08:11We thought that we won't have to make another video in 2025.
08:14We hoped that our video would lose its significance in 2025.
08:18Because that thing will happen in 2023.
08:20We garnered more than a crore views.
08:22Yeah.
08:23That's a lot.
08:24But it didn't happen.
08:25So, there is…
08:26Somewhere, there is a fault in our stars, I guess.
08:27So, these over millions of people who share likes or share your video or sort of send hearts or send comments.
08:38I wonder how many of them actually vote on pollution.
08:41I wonder how many of them make it a point to talk about it and to raise it all year round.
08:46And let me bring in your partner Vasu from Mumbai as well on this.
08:50Vasu.
08:51Do you think people, all of those, millions of people who love looking at your reels, share it, forward it.
08:57Do you think it matters enough to them that they would actually vote on it one day?
09:02Vasu can hear me?
09:15Foggy signal.
09:16I will blame it on that.
09:17And I will take that question.
09:19And I will take that question to Saloni then.
09:22Saloni, what has really intrigued me about pollution is the fact that when India really unites, we are able to bring about change.
09:31For example, on the issue of dogs.
09:33We managed to roll back an order from Supreme Court for them to rethink, come to a compromise.
09:41Why is it not happening in pollution?
09:43I think people are not that serious.
09:48For example, my own family, the extended family.
09:52In their house, the daughter was fighting for an air purifier.
09:55And the mother was saying, why are you not strong for your lungs?
09:59I don't know what the psyche has happened.
10:02That they have started thinking that you have to get immune to this.
10:06Not the other way around.
10:08There is no immunity on pollution.
10:12Anyways, I don't know.
10:14So she was arguing with her,
10:16You are very little.
10:17Why are you having a problem?
10:19We are taking the breath in the air.
10:21I don't know.
10:22I have seen those pictures where people are running around India gate.
10:26And honestly, I would say that I was sitting at home for such a long time.
10:32Because when I went out, it was bad that I am doing so much good for my health.
10:38And now there is one thing that I cannot do anything.
10:40And that is impacting my health.
10:41Which is an outer factor.
10:43But you are also bored at home.
10:45So I also went to play badminton one day.
10:47But then I thought, what is happening?
10:49That means, why should we stop ourselves?
10:52This is also a thought that comes back.
10:54But again, I don't know what can we do.
10:57When the government is just not hearing anything.
11:00If I were to ask you that question.
11:02That way we can unite on so many things.
11:04Why not pollution?
11:06Because it doesn't affect us immediately.
11:08It affects us in one or two business years.
11:10That's why.
11:11If it were grabbing our throat right now.
11:14We would act on it now.
11:15Because as Indians, I think our responses are a little delayed.
11:18According to India standard time.
11:20Delayed?
11:21Yeah.
11:22It doesn't have immediate impact.
11:23So the food is coming after 2 months.
11:25After 2 months it will be fine.
11:26You will get a drink.
11:27You will eat a drink.
11:28You will get a drink.
11:29You will get a drink.
11:30You will get a drink.
11:31And then a few months later.
11:32And then there will be rain.
11:33And then you will forget.
11:34And then you will get frustrated again.
11:36Yeah.
11:37Guys, I don't know.
11:39So, I.
11:40But you have a song for it.
11:42Which perhaps will make some sense.
11:44I hope it does.
11:45We might not have all the answers today.
11:48We really hope to get it one day.
11:49But there is a song that might make you think.
11:51If we don't understand our conversation.
11:53Maybe we can understand the song.
11:54So please, over to you.
11:56Okay.
11:57So my friend Vasu and I, we wrote this song.
12:00And it's made to a very famous tune.
12:02Of a famous Kawali.
12:03By Ussad Nusra Patalikan Saab.
12:05So Vasu wrote this share in the beginning.
12:08As you are playing, you are doing great music.
12:23Khaansi bani kawali hai
12:27Tumhye clean hawa bool jani padegi
12:33Tumhye clean hawa bool jani padegi
12:38Dilli NCR me aaa kar to dekho
12:43Tumhye clean hawa bool jani padegi
12:48Dilli NCR me aaa kar to dekho
12:54Asthma bronchitis se phir na bacho ge
12:59Bil hospital ka ghaata kar to dekho
13:05Tumhye clean hawa bool jani padegi
13:09Mirzaath Tumhye clean hawa bool jani padegi
13:15Dilli NCR me aaa kar to dekho
13:20Aapki baat piyaraam
13:21Aaa kar to dekho yaa
13:22Vot se mamile jo neta aate the ghar mein
13:26Phonun ku tunh ab nila aaa kar to dekho
13:32Thank you
13:33I have last 30 seconds but I really want you to go over Mairi once
13:37And I would love to leave our viewers also with this song
13:40You know we are laughing, we are smiling about it
13:42But we really shouldn't, it's a serious matter
13:45Please stop thinking your immunity will fight it out
13:47And please stop thinking for once
13:49Ki iski aadat padegi agar apne air purifier laaga lia yaa mask laaga lia
13:53Yeh bhot seeris issues hain
13:54Please apnei doctor ki advice leen
13:56Or kisi ki nahi
13:57Or filhal ke lia yeh gaana enjoy karein
13:59I wish
14:00I wish
14:01I wish
14:02I wish
14:03I wish
14:04I wish
14:05I wish
14:06I wish
14:07I wish
14:08I wish
14:09I wish
14:10I wish
14:11I wish
14:12I wish
14:13I wish
14:14I wish
14:17I wish
14:26I wish
14:32I wish
14:37I wish
14:41Oh, oh, oh, oh.
15:11Thode aur patake thodke aaja
15:16Factory ka ghuaan
15:19Jalati parali
15:21Diesel ke ghuae ka sasta nasha
15:28Thank you so much.
15:30Well on that note, enjoy while you can this music because clearly what happens next we don't know.
15:38I just want to leave you all with this little note and this little thought that pollution is a serious matter.
15:43Think about it, raise your voice about it, demand clean air.
15:46We'll see you tomorrow, bye bye.
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