Hafta letters: Leaving Delhi, AQI, and subscription ideas

Curious cat

Hi NL team,

This isn’t meant to mock you in any way – I’m genuinely curious. Sitting here in the UK with an AQI of 1–2, I wonder what keeps you in Delhi despite the pollution. Have you considered moving to an office somewhere like Chennai or Cochin, where the air quality is better? 

It seems like everyone else, you are also praying and hoping for someone or something to come and rescue you. It doesn’t seem like things have changed or would change anytime soon. So, perhaps the inertia that plagues you plagues everyone else, too. 

Sorry, I don’t mean to be harsh at all, but I'm just wondering. Thanks.

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Jyo

Hello, 

I really appreciate the work being done at NL. The Bihar election coverage was great and insightful, and the reports on Delhi air/water pollution are consistent. I believe that's what we need right now. I have one suggestion to lure more subscribers in. I feel the LTA (Let’s Talk About) series is a hidden gem for NL, which we don’t promote enough. My generation and the younger ones need the kind of detail covered in some of the LTA series. How about making one of those public, maybe the one on RSS or religion? I just feel the time is right for it.

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Shantanu Sharma 

Hello NL team,

Kudos for consistently delivering high-quality reporting, interviews, and podcasts. Hafta has been a rich source of reading, listening, and viewing content thanks to the recommendations by your panellists and guests. I particularly want to compliment you on providing a platform to Anurag Minus Verma (AMV), whom I support on Patreon and whose work I follow regularly. The NL interview with AMV was excellent. Keep up the good work!

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Ravinder Singh 

Hey team, 

I hope everyone’s hanging in there despite the toxic air in Delhi. I wanted to request that Newslaundry cover what’s happening at Panjab University – the student protests against the university’s centralisation. I get that the Bihar polls and Delhi blast are dominating headlines, but this issue feels just as important. It seems like another sneaky step by the BJP-RSS to tighten their grip on major institutions and push their ideology through education. 

There’s growing unrest in Punjab too, with many people losing trust in both the Centre and the AAP-led state government, which they now see as being too close to Delhi’s power circles. After the Farmers’ Protest, this is another cause the youth feel deeply about. 

Sadly, instead of healing from the wounds of 1984, things seem to be sliding toward another tense period for Punjab and that’s really worrying.

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Simar

Hi Newslaundry team,

Your coverage of environmental issues like air and water makes me proud of having subscribed to you for the past four years. Keep up the good work! I wanted to comment on a similarity between Zohran Mamdani and PK (Prashant Kishor). Their campaigns have involved grassroots movements, talking about real issues and also have clear policy objectives. However, their communication styles are so different. Mamdani is known to listen and meet the person where they are, while PK just goes on dismissing people (at least reporters). What do you think about how that contributes to their success as a political leader?

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