How a 14-YO Turned His Frustration With Delhi’s Smog Into a Rs 4000 Air Purifier

Delhi’s toxic winter air isn’t just a statistic — it’s the haze people breathe, the cough settling in their throats, and the silent threat growing year after year. In the middle of this smog-choked reality, a teenager decided he’d had enough.

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What began as a personal battle for clean air turned into ‘Breathify’ — a homegrown innovation now helping thousands breathe easier, without the hefty price tag of traditional air purifiers.

In 2016, when he was just 14 years old, Delhi-based Krrish Chawla would wake up every winter with persistent breathing trouble.

“I was surrounded by purifiers because I used to fall sick so often,” says Krrish. “One day, out of curiosity, I opened one. It was just a fan and a filter — and yet it cost Rs 30,000. I was shocked.

That moment changed everything.

From school project to 320 prototypes

Determined to create a purifier people could actually afford, Krrish started researching, tinkering and building. Over the next few years, he created more than 320 prototypes, experimenting with airflow, filtration materials and power efficiency.

What emerged was Breathify, a purifier built on a patent-pending Reverse Air Technology — a system that pulls air in from behind, filters it faster and uses less energy.

Independent tests showed that his purifier could bring indoor air quality down to AQI 4, a level far cleaner than the average Delhi winter day, which now frequently crosses over 400.

A device most families can afford

While most branded purifiers cost between Rs 15,000 to Rs 40,000, Krrish designed Breathify to start at just Rs 4,000, making it accessible to college students, families, small offices and even low-income homes.

And it isn’t just affordable — it’s environmentally responsible.

According to Krrish, Breathify is 99% free of plastic or polymer, built using recyclable materials to reduce long-term waste.

In 2021, Krrish also pledged to plant a sapling for every purifier sold — a gesture rooted in the belief that clean air can’t be solved indoors alone. 

A growing public health crisis

India faces a massive air pollution challenge. A 2023 Lancet study estimates 1.7–2.1 million premature deaths in India each year linked to air pollution.

Meanwhile, Delhi continues to rank among the world’s most polluted cities every winter. 

In this backdrop, low-cost innovation like Breathify offers more than convenience — they offer a fighting chance.

Today, Krrish is no longer the 14-year-old quietly dismantling a Rs 30,000 purifier. He’s a young inventor who has built a product that challenges global giants — one that reduces cost, cuts plastic waste, and makes clean air a right instead of a luxury.

In a city gasping for breath, his journey is a reminder that hope doesn’t always arrive with big labs. Sometimes it comes from a teenager with a screwdriver and the belief that everyone deserves clean air.

Source:

'PM 2.5 not only killed 1.7 million people in India during 2022, but also caused financial losses to the tune of 9.5% of country’s GDP: Lancet': by Jayanta Basu for Down to Earth, Published on 29 October 2025.