{"id":6741,"date":"2021-06-02T20:00:51","date_gmt":"2021-06-02T19:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cov19chronicles.com\/?p=6741"},"modified":"2023-04-26T17:38:33","modified_gmt":"2023-04-26T16:38:33","slug":"an-earth-anthem-for-the-covid-19-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cov19chronicles.com\/an-earth-anthem-for-the-covid-19-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"An Earth Anthem for the Covid-19 Pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Shonil Bhagwat<\/a> argues that World Environment Day is more than just a day \u2013 it celebrates the people being part of this Earth for eons and eons. We borrow this Earth from our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Let\u2019s think of this Earth with gratitude and treat it with respect.<\/em><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When growing up as an environmentally conscious teenager in India in the 1990s, I came across a wonderful Earth anthem in Hindi which was popular among the environmental activist circles at that time. It has made a lasting impression on me. Rather than recording myself humming it (badly) to myself here is someone else singing part of it far better than me [https:\/\/youtu.be\/rgrZMEfbjSs]<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Loosely translated in English, it goes something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have been a part of this Earth for eons and eons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bear in mind though that we have not inherited this Earth from our ancestors but borrowed it from our descendants to whom we are deeply indebted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n High mountains, fields and plains of this Earth, its rivers through which flows the elixir of life, all sing the song of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The cooling shade of its trees, which also bear flowers and fruits and shower them on us, have nurtured us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Who knows how long have these trees lived on Earth? Who knows how many generations of people have been raised on this Earth?<\/p>\n\n\n\n For eons and eons, people have received a constant stream of pure love from Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s not forget that we will need to return the Earth to those from whom we have borrowed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We must remember that this not a gift from our forefathers, nor is it a luxury to be revelled in.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n For me, this anthem means many things: It makes me feel nostalgic about the heady teen ages of my environmental activism. It reminds me that World Environment Day is more than just a day \u2013 it celebrates the people being part of this Earth for eons and eons. It makes me conscious that we need to think of our presence on Earth with a sense of responsibility and feel privileged that we have been able to borrow this Earth from our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. It also makes me conscious that we should think of Earth with gratitude for the pure love we receive. This is really the gist of the World Environment Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sense of nostalgia I feel when I remember this anthem is not unfamiliar to many refugees and migrants. This Earth anthem also captures that nostalgia of the homeland which had so much to give. As we think of the bounties of Earth, particularly during the Covid-19 lockdowns over the last year, this sense of nostalgia becomes even more acute. The high mountains or fields or plains in this anthem bring back the sense of being out in nature which we have missed so much during the lockdowns. It strongly resonates with the experiences of refugees and migrants who perhaps feel \u201ctrapped\u201d whether in the refugee camps without being able to exercise their freedom of movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n