New Delhi, Nov. 22 -- Best of the Week is a weekly newsletter by Siddharth Sharma/Shravani Sinha. Subscribe to Mint's newsletters to get them directly in your inbox.

These four months in Delhi feel living inside a slow-burning smoke chamber. You step out of the city for a few days, breathe normally, and then return - only to feel the weight in your chest all over again. The lethargy is real. The constant tightness in your throat becomes a part of your daily routine. And even a short walk outside feels like you've signed up for a high-intensity workout by accident.

For those of us with pets, it's worse. Watching our fur babies wheeze or slow down because the air literally hurts them is heartbreaking. The fear of bronchitis, the rushed ve...