‘A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words’, therefore this is going to be a short article; thereafter which we urge you to visit National college, in order to witness the reality of the above-mentioned adage. The experience that awaits you there is indeed jolting in nature, none the less, the projection is very much real. The image that we speak of is an installation, a concerted effort between two NGOs namely Jhatkaa.org & Waatavaran.
Installed outside RD National College junction and titled- ‘The Billboard that breathes’, this is a first-of-its-kind initiative in Maharashtra, where an interactive art installation has been used to demonstrate the lethal impact of polluted air on human health. Installed on the 14th of January, the unique creation is an effigy of human lungs and is made of Hepa filters and a fan. The idea is to present a realistic visual that represents the catastrophic damage that our lungs sustain, simply by breathing in the city.
On the first day, the apparatus of the installation depicts the virtuosity of a healthy pair of lungs, however as the days pass, it begins to reflect the deterioration ensued by being exposed there. A brainchild of Jhatkaa.org, the said installation was previously mounted in Bengaluru and Delhi as well. The current public exhibit that has been installed outside National college will be available for viewing till the 31st of January.
The initiative aims to posit a real-time imagery reference, with regards to the caustic effect of air pollution and its inimical effect on the human repository system. Shikha Kumar, Campaigns Manager with Jhatkaa.org states “Along with Waatavaran, we decided to showcase the installation in Mumbai because air pollution is not thought of as a serious concern yet. The installation is a great way to generate public awareness and get the conversation going, as people get to see the lungs changing colour. It also gives a real-time reading of the air quality index (AQI). Alongside this, we have an online petition asking Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and the CM to take steps to clean up Mumbai’s air.”
Shikha Kumar added “In a span of two weeks the lungs have become black. High levels of particulate matter in the air, caused in large part due to vehicular emissions and dust…was all trapped in the HEPA filters. This has proven to be one of the simplest yet visually effective ways of showcasing what the deteriorating air quality in the city is doing to our lungs,”. If you would like to support and sign the petition please log onto Jhatkaa.org.
Kumar added as per studies carried out by air pollution research group, Urbanemissions.info, vehicular emissions and industries itself contributes 31 percent to the total PM 2.5 concentration in Mumbai.
“When I saw these faux lungs, I told the campaigners that these are like my lungs, which have been put up on a billboard. I will now get to see what is happening to my lungs as well as that of other Mumbaikars. This is the best possible way to demonstrate to people what is happening inside their body when they inhale polluted air,” said Dr. Sanjeev Mehta, Chief Pulmonologist, Lilavati hospital.
Apart from this, the organizers are also hosting an exhibition titled ‘Breathless: An Artistic Call To India’s Air Pollution Crisis’ at Bombay Arts Society, Bandra Reclamation and will be open to the public till the 31st of January from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The exhibition features, photographs taken by Ishan Tanka and stories written by acclaimed journalist Aruna Chandrasekhar. With such an assemblage of informative initiatives regarding air, one must simply, just do it, and take it upon ourselves to safeguard the future for the sake of posterity.
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before. Yet another day I suffer from choking smog. This discussion was a great deal educational!