Tourists visiting the Taj Mahal on 14 November, were in for a shock when the iconic monument appeared to have vanished, obscured by heavy smog, leaving visitors stunned and bewildered.

The escalating threat of air pollution is well-known, but 22-year-old Krrish Chawla has developed an innovative solution to tackle this growing issue effectively.

In 2016, at 14, Krrish decided to dismantle an air purifier out of curiosity. “Since childhood, I’ve had this habit of dismantling toys and gadgets to check what lies underneath,” he says. What he found inside was a simple filter and a fan — yet, the purifier cost around Rs 35,000.

“I wanted a cheaper and more effective solution,” he says. This led him to start experimenting with building his own air purifier.

The birth of a solution After 318 prototypes and many trials, Krrish created Breathify in 2018. Breathify uses an innovative ‘Reverse Air’ technology. Made with a wooden frame and 98% plastic-free, it costs just Rs 4,200.

“The main ingredient for the heart and lung of any air purifier is a fan and a HEPA Filter," Krrish explains. "In both standard machines and Breathify, the air passes through a HEPA filter, which captures all the pollutants." The key difference? Breathify reverses the airflow direction for cleaner air.

Reverse air technology Unlike traditional air purifiers, in Breathify, the filter is the last step in the airflow process. This prevents air from mixing with surrounding pollutants, resulting in the purest output air quality. Krrish’s innovation lowers the AQI to just four, while standard machines reduce it to around 100.

Krrish says that air purifiers are expensive due to features like LED panels and fancy displays. “I have used a simple square design with no panels or displays, which cuts the cost but does an effective job,” he says. This makes Breathify affordable.

At the price of one high-end air purifier, users can buy multiple Breathify devices. Krrish has already sold 5,000 units and donated 2,500 to hospitals, old-age homes, and other institutions in need. “An additional laser monitor could be bought for Rs 15,000,” he adds.

From passion to business Krrish started his venture with financial support from his father. He later reinvested profits from orders to grow the business. “I learned on Google through research and experimented,” he says. His focus was on understanding and perfecting the airflow process.

 “I aim to make clean air affordable, and I will continue to make the product better for the better health of people,” Krrish says.