Totaram Maurya heaves bricks and sacks of cement on building sites in New Delhi to feed his family of seven. But he’s been stuck at home with no pay for more than 10 days because of a ban on building work aimed at easing a toxic smog over the city.

“If I’m going to get sick from air pollution and die then I would prefer to die while working as I have mouths to feed,” said Mr Maurya, his bamboo hut on the banks of the Yamuna river shrouded in a murky haze.

Delhi, a city of 20 million people, is the world’s most polluted capital. It has been gripped by poor air quality since early this month, as happens every year despite government pledges to fix the problem.

Bans on construction, in the hope of keeping down the dust and reducing vehicle exhaust, are not new.

Thousands of labourers like Mr Maurya have been put out of work as authorities struggle to clear fine particles in the air that can rise to levels almost 20 times higher than a World Health Organization (WHO) safe limit.

The 45-year-old Mr Maurya said he usually earns about 500 rupees ($6) a day.

“It’s tough to lift the heavy materials, especially when there’s pollution as I cough a lot when smoke gets in my lungs and my eyes burn,” said the sole wage earner in his family.

The only protection he could afford was a handkerchief over his face, Mr Maurya said.

Delhi’s air pollution gets worse in winter when the wind drops and the air cools, trapping pollutants spewed out from vehicles, industry and the burning of agricultural waste as farmers in surrounding bread-basket states burn off stubble to prepare for new planting.

Grappling for solutions, city authorities ban construction and stop heavy vehicles coming into the city. Schools have also been closed.

The city has at times sent out water trucks to spray in the air in the hope of clearing the smoke and dust and this year, for the first time, they will try to make rain.

Hazardous Air

Scientists expect some cloud cover next week and hope there will be enough moisture in the air to trigger rain through cloud seeding, said Manindra Agrawal, a scientist at the Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur, southeast of Delhi, who is leading the trial.

Rain brought some short-lived relief late last week but pollution surged again as revellers defied a ban on firecrackers to mark the Hindu festival of Diwali on Sunday.

The air quality index (AQI) was up to 420 on Monday, a level categorised as “hazardous” by Swiss group IQAir.

The WHO estimates that air pollution kills 4.2 million people around the world every year.

While authorities advise people to limit outdoor activity when the air is bad, workers like Maurya say they can’t afford to sit at home, or to get ill.

“If I fall sick, everything will fall apart,” said Pramod Kumar, 23, a limestone worker at construction sites in Delhi, who also complained of not having worked for days.

Both Mr Maurya and Mr Kumar said try to get work on farms when construction stops but say it’s hard to find.

The construction sector is India’s second-largest job generator after agriculture, employing an estimated 70 million people including unskilled workers who leave the countryside for the cities in the hope of better lives.

The Delhi government has at times given some compensation to construction workers when bans are enforced but it has not done so this year.

It is not just labourers who are hit by bans. The property developers are too.

“Despite meeting all the compliance requirements for dust control and mitigation measures…the struggle persists,” said a spokesperson for Parsvnath Developers Ltd.

Diwali is here and so are the celebrations and festivities that come with it. While the country lights up with diyas and lanterns, Bollywood stars brighten up our social feeds with their stunning sartorial picks for the many festive occasions they grace with their presence. While the whole week leading up to Diwali has seen some celeb-studded parties thrown by Manish Malhotra, Karan Johar, Ekta Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan and more, last night featured many mini celebrations by some of the who’s who of B-Town from Kareena Kapoor and Shilpa Shetty to Krishan Kumar. The Kapoor-Khan family particularly stood out with Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Soha Ali Khan, Sara Ali Khan, and of course, the hostess herself, Kareena Kapoor styled low on bling but high on elegance and authenticity. 

Bollywood’s sweethearts Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor of course were matched in energy and vibes but not in their apparel choices. Alia looked radiant in a shimmering red lehenga with gold sequin borders and zari work. Her blouse of the same hue featured the same gold detailing on the sleeves, a plunging neckline and a surprising twist of beadwork at its hem. She paired the lehenga with a potli of the hue, fabric and design that was identical to her dupatta’s border. Her minimal yet elegant look was matched with minimal makeup, danglers and untied tresses. Ranbir wore a black sherwani over a v-neck kurta of the same colour and he paired it with white pants. 

Red and black worked like a charm for Ralia, as they did for cousin Kareena Kapoor and her hubby Saif Ali Khan. Rather unlikely that the coordinated hues were a coincidence, but let’s do a deep dive into how Saif-Kareena wore it differently. Kareena picked a sheer red saree embellished with multi-coloured applique designs of a floral motif and gold patti borders. The star paired the saree with a red, sleeveless blouse. Like Alia, she went heavy on the ears with diamond and ruby danglers, but light on the makeup and handpieces. Her hair was styled open with a blowout look. Saif picked a traditional kurta-dhoti in black and white with silver sequins lining just the lapel and upper seamline of the kurta. Like his cousin-in-law, Saif’s beard and moustache were lightly trimmed, prepped and photo-ready and yet gave off the minimal effort-maximum impact vibes. He wore beige mojaris with his outfit. 

Next up, Soha Ali Khan. The star-author went the retro route looking like the spitting image of her mother, Sharmila. Also styled in red, Soha picked a red six-yard drape with silver polka dots and a thick border with intricate silver embroidery. Her sleeveless blouse featured little to no designs allowing all the attention to be focused on her richly embroidered saree. Soha’s jewellery picks were a bit heavier than Kareena’s or Alia’s, with jhumkas and a beaded necklace to match, but she left her hands relatively bare. Her hair completed her retro look with her flicks parted in the middle and a high bun with a tail resting on one shoulder. While Soha’s style choice for this occasion was a saree, Soha’s favourite festivewear pick is not a saree at all. Click here to find out more about that. Husband Kuna Khemu’s white kurta was in evident contrast to Soha’s red and silver look but, complemented it perfectly. 

Also Read: Soha Ali Khan Exclusive: “Will Steal This From Kunal’s Closet,” Won’t Leave Home Without These 3 “Fashion” Items And More

Last but not least at all, Sara Ali Khan and Ibrahim Ali Khan; the siblings who are quite the head-turners in Bollywood. Their look from last night is proof enough why. Sara wore a purple brocade and gold anarkali suit with a red churidar and heavy gold threadwork. The tissue silk dupatta had a heavily embellished gota patti border. Like Kareena and Alia she wore danglers, a bindi and carried a matching potli, but not much else for accessories. Like his father, Ibrahim chose black and white for his outfit. He donned a black bandhgala with a white shirt and matching pyjamas. 

The Kapoor-Khans are well-known for acing their family style for every festive occasion and this Diwali was no different. There’s no doubt that we will be graced with more stylish elegance from them over the course of the festive season, until the end of the year. 

Also Read: The Sibling Bond Between Ibrahim Ali Khan, Jeh And Taimur Is Pure Gold, These Pictures Say All

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