28 April,2026 11:59 AM IST | Mumbai | Maitrai Agarwal
Mrinal Ojha, Srishti Singh Bhatia, Nihit Gupta and Nikita Shinde. Photo Courtesy: Special Arrangement
Every April 28, the world pauses to celebrate National Superhero Day. While the day technically has its roots in US comic book culture, it has evolved into a global moment for debating Marvel versus DC or wondering if Batman's true superpower is just an infinite credit card. But here in India, we don't necessarily need capes to fight off alien invasions. We need them to fight the âchalta hai' attitude.
Beyond the cinematic spectacle of flying and X-ray vision, there is a different kind of heroism our cities crave: the power to fix the daily grind. Four young professionals from India's busiest hubs - Chandigarh, Delhi, and Mumbai - answer a simple question: If you had one superpower to fix a national headache, what would it be? They aren't asking for the ability to scale skyscrapers. They want something much more powerful: a way to make India work.
As an entrepreneur based in Chandigarh, Nihit Gupta believes the biggest hurdle in India isn't a lack of infrastructure - it's a lack of consequences. While Chandigarh is known for its discipline, Gupta's vision for the country involves a high-tech psychological upgrade.
"If I had one superpower to fix a national headache, I'd install an auto-fine system directly in people's minds - like an in-built penalty mode that activates instantly," says the 28-year-old.
Gupta isn't interested in chasing people down with sirens. He wants a system where the punishment is as immediate as the crime, and envisions a world of instant feedback loops targeting littering, traffic violations, and the video game driving style seen on Indian highways. "You litter? Instant guilt and consequence hit. You break traffic rules? Same thing. No escape, no chalta hai, no waiting for police," he explains.
For Gupta, the solution lies in bridging the gap between action and accountability. "Basically, it's real-time karma, but upgraded. India doesn't lack rules, we lack consequences people actually feel. Fix the mindset, and everything else - traffic, cleanliness, discipline - just starts falling into place," he asserts.
Living in the heart of the NCR, Srishti Singh Bhatia, content creator from Delhi, sees the daily friction caused by a massive population competing for limited space. While others might dream of a giant vacuum to suck up the smog, Bhatia's superpower is more profound: a mass-scale conscience transplant.
"I would choose the ability to instil a deep, instinctive sense of civic responsibility across all of India," she poses.
The 35-year-old points out, "Our daily stressors, the constant honking, the jaywalking, the treating of public parks like private trash cans stem from a survivalist âme-first' mentality. With this power, the change would come from within."
It is a shift from a culture of merely getting ahead to one of moving together. When a city's safety is no longer a stroke of luck but a collective guarantee, the ripple effect is massive. "We often wait for systems to improve, but forget that we are the system. Disciplined traffic would reduce stress and lower pollution. It would also significantly reduce accidents and reckless driving incidents that cost so many lives. More than anything, it would make our cities feel safer, calmer, and more humane, completely transforming how India is perceived by the world," she notes.
Anyone who has ever tried to board a Virar-bound fast local at 6 pm knows that physics works differently in Mumbai. For Nikita Shinde, talent manager and content creator in Mumbai, the national headache is the daily battle for a square inch of space on a train.
"If I had one superpower for Mumbai, it would be time-freezing," she muses. Shinde isn't looking to stop the city's hustle - she loves the pace. The 30-year-old simply wants to eliminate the survival test that happens at the platform edge. Her power would create a tiny window during peak hours where people could get in and out without being pushed, crushed, or missing their stop.
"No chaos, no shouting, and no more panic of 'will I even make it?' Catching a train feels like a daily fight; you're already tired before your day starts. I wouldn't change Mumbai's pace; I'd just slow it down for those few crucial moments so the city stops feeling like it's trying to outrun its own people," she explains.
While some want to freeze time, Mrinal Ojha, actor, assistant director, and content creator in Mumbai, wants to optimise the city's flow through mental synchronisation. As a filmmaker constantly moving between sets, traffic is his nemesis.
"I would have the power of controlling all signals through my mind and issuing a challan to every single vehicle that breaks a rule," shares the 30-year-old.
Ojha's approach is a tactical attack on gridlock. He dreams of controlling every traffic signal in Mumbai with his mind, ensuring they change based on real-time density rather than fixed timers. "Firstly, I will control all traffic signals so they change based on real traffic. That means no waiting at empty roads and less time stuck in jams. Then, I will try to reduce the number of cars on the road. For example, charge extra money during peak hours so that people will use more public transport and less private vehicles to commute," he explains.
Ojha's vision includes an automated system where rule-breakers are instantly fined and illegally parked vehicles simply disappear within two minutes. " If anyone parks in a no parking zone then their vehicle disappears in 2 minutes with the help of BMC and traffic police. This is the best way to make everything run smoothly and smartly - not just force changes," he asserts. By combining mental control with smart incentives for public transport, such as peak-hour congestion pricing, he believes he could turn the city's gridlock into a smoothly running machine.
If we look at these four superpowers, a clear theme emerges. Whether it's Gupta's instant karma, Bhatia's civic conscience, Shinde's time buffer, or Ojha's mental traffic grid, none of these heroes are asking for the ability to fight supervillains.
They are asking for order, empathy, and efficiency. It seems the national headache isn't just the traffic or the trash - it's the friction of 1.4 billion people trying to move in different directions. Perhaps the real superpower we need is the one Bhatia mentioned: remembering that we are the system.
