Calcutta: Pollution has, for the time being, driven the Nehras away from the capital.

"Right now, New Delhi isn't a city, but more of a gas chamber. It really is very bad and it's a recurring problem...

"Sadly, hardly anything is done to address the issue...

"It used to be bad in the years gone by, but never to this extent. Today, even the medical fraternity is so concerned...

"Keeping the health of our children (son Aarush, daughter Aariana) in mind, Rushma and I moved to Mumbai around a week ago...

"We've taken a serviced apartment and the family will be there till the end of the month, by when Zaheer Khan's marriage-related functions would get over," Nehra told The Telegraph on Thursday evening.

Nehra, who retired from cricket on November 1, is in the city as an analyst-cum-commentator on TV for the first Test between India and Sri Lanka.

While Nehra isn't available for the second Test (in Jamtha) owing to Zaheer's wedding, he will be back for the third and final one, in New Delhi.

"I have the resources to take my family temporarily away from New Delhi, but everybody cannot. What about those who run a business? Surely, they can't pack up...

"In fact, my parents have stayed put and that's worrying. My father is 70, while mother is 65. They just don't want to move...

"It's easy to relocate a plant, even if for a brief period, but not a big tree...

"With the situation getting from bad to worse, my wife and I may soon decide to leave New Delhi for good and settle down either in Goa or in Mumbai...

"Rushma and the kids hold British passports, so shifting to London where my in-laws stay is also an option, but not one I'm keen to exercise at this stage," Nehra, 38, informed.

Nehra added: "Last year, we'd left New Delhi a day after Diwali and spent a fortnight in Goa. For a while, Rushma and I even contemplated relocating there permanently, but dropped the idea because of the children's education...

"Both kids go to the British School in Chanakyapuri. It had been closed for some days and, then, leave has been taken...

"No parent can see his/her child fall ill owing to pollution. Both my kids were really suffering in New Delhi."

Summing up his first day as an analyst-cum-commentator, Nehra said: "It was OK... Some well-wishers have messaged that I didn't come across as a rookie, so that was good to know...

"As the start of the Test was delayed, my first stint was for over two hours. That, I suppose, would be the equivalent of baptism by fire."