New Delhi: Earth Anthem penned originally in English by Bihar born Indian poet-diplomat Abhay K. has been translated into 100 languages on World Biodiversity Day today. These lines from the Earth Anthem—“United we stand as flora and fauna/ United we stand as species of one Earth”, express solidarity with all the livings species on our planet and calls for protecting the rich biodiversity on Earth.
World Biodiversity Day is a United Nations–sanctioned international day for the promotion of biodiversity issues. It is currently celebrated on May 22. From its creation by the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly in 1993 until 2000, it was celebrated on December 29 to commemorate the day the Convention on Biological Diversity was first introduced. Later, on December 20, 2000, the date was shifted to May 22 to mark the adoption of the Convention on May 22, 1992, at the Rio Earth Summit. The theme for this year’s biodiversity day is -‘we are part of the solution #ForNature’.
Over a million species face extinction due to habitat loss, environmental pollution and climate change. Loss of biodiversity threatens the life supporting systems on Earth. In this light Earth Anthem, inspired by ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam which means Earth is a family’ calls for deeper understanding of symbiosis and mutual interdependence between humans and other species that form the very basis of existence of life on Earth.
– global bihari bureau
