NEW DELHI, Nov 10: Romance met reality in Delhi this week — not under fireworks, but through fog and fumes. A video showing a couple marrying while wearing oxygen masks has gone viral, perfectly encapsulating life and love in one of the world’s most polluted cities.
The short reel, set in a hospital-like setting with oxygen cylinders in the background, replaces wedding roses with medicine strips and garlands with gasps for air. The bride even pretends to perform CPR on the groom, symbolising how Delhi’s toxic air has left no one — not even newlyweds — untouched.
The video ends with the couple smiling behind masks, captioned: “Love survives in Delhi, but only with oxygen.”
The humour doesn’t end there. Social media timelines are flooded with memes about Delhi’s choking air. One viral post shows Superman in an ICU bed, oxygen mask on, reading: “Superman after flying through Delhi’s air for 10 minutes.” Another meme shows a man holding a placard that says: “I miss breathing.”
Users are also combining political and pop-cultural satire. “Ab ki baar, 1000 AQI paar,” says one post. Another user joked, “If Delhi is renamed Indraprastha, pollution and crime will also go back to the 14th century.”
Behind the laughter lies frustration. Since Diwali, the national capital’s Air Quality Index has swung between “very poor” and “severe.” CPCB data shows the city’s AQI routinely hovering above 400, forcing residents indoors and reigniting debates on policy inaction.
For Delhiites, memes have become more than jokes — they’re a form of survival.
