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On a busy road in Kathmandu, I realized not everyone has the option of wearing a mask.

Bhaktapur, Kathmandu ValleyJul 2026

No Choice to Breathe

I took this photo on a busy road in Kathmandu.

Vehicles rushed past, carrying dust and exhaust into the air.

Amid all that noise, a stray dog lay quietly on the pavement, as if it had accepted the world around it. For a moment, I wondered what it would be like to live without the ability to choose.

It couldn't move to a cleaner place, wear a mask, or complain about the polluted air.

It simply breathed whatever the city offered. That made me realize something.

Clean air is not only a human need.

Every bird, every animal, every tree, and every person depends on the same atmosphere. When we pollute the air, we don't just harm ourselves.

We also affect the countless lives that share this city with us, including those that have no voice to ask for something better. Looking at this dog reminded me that clean air is not a privilege.

It is a necessity that every living being deserves.

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Aarya Shanjel

@shanjelaarya3

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#Bhaktapur#kastohawaho#Smoke#HealthImpact#Lungs#Mentalwellbeing#safahawa

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