Earth Anthem is a song that eulogizes the Earth, its beauty, its rich biodiversity. It is a song that can be sung by anybody, anywhere, anytime to pay homage to our beautiful planet Earth.
Earth Anthem was written by Indian poet and diplomat Abhay K. in 2008. He was inspired by the ancient Indian philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ which means ‘the whole Earth is a family’ and the Blue Marble image of Earth taken by the crew of Apollo 17 spacecraft on its way to the Moon.
It was put to music by Sapan Ghimire in Kathmandu, Nepal and was sung in all the six official UN languages by Shreya Sotang. Its music video was launched by two Union Ministers at a function organised by Indian Council of Cultural Relations on the occasion of the World Environment Day in 2013.
Since then it has been translated into over 150 languages spoken across the planet and Earth Anthem video has crossed 100K views on YouTube.
UNESCO commented “the idea of having an Earth Anthem is a creative and inspiring thought which would contribute to bringing the world together.” Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi noted – “The Earth Anthem is a beautiful effort to protect ourselves and our generations to come.” It was played at the United Nations to mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day Celebrations in 2022. Eminent personalities like writer Shashi Tharoor, actress Manisha Koirala, Director Shyam Benegal, Hollywood actor Robert Lin, violinist Dr L Subramaniam, singer Kavita Krishnamurti, among others have extended their support to the efforts of Abhay K to have a common Earth Anthem for our planet.
Violin maestro Dr. L.Subramaniam composed music for it in 2017 and it was sung by well-known singer Kavita Krishnamurti. It was performed by the Symphonic Orchestra of the National Theatre of Brasilia in 2018 and by the musicians of the Amsterdam Conservatorium in 2019.
Over 100 poets, artists, celebrities across the globe read Earth Anthem to mark 51st Earth Day on 22 April 2021.
Earth Anthem has featured in over 180 leading publications globally including BBC, Christian Science Monitor, Times of India, The Hindu, Indian Express, Financial Express, NDTV, Diario Madrid, CNBC, Khaleej Times, China Daily, Correio Braziliense, Midi Madagasikara, Magical Cambodia, Illinois Centre for Global Studies, University of Iowa, among others.
With our planet facing triple threats of Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss and Environmental Pollution, Abhay K. has called for a global reading of Earth Anthem to mark Earth Day 2023. One and all are welcome to record a video of reading the Earth Anthem and post it on 22 April 2023 on one’s social media with hashtags #EarthDay #EarthAnthem.
Earth Anthem
By Abhay K.
Our cosmic oasis, cosmic blue pearl
the most beautiful planet in the universe
all the continents and all the oceans
united we stand as flora and fauna
united we stand as species of one earth
diverse cultures, beliefs and ways
we are humans, Earth is our home
all the people and all the nations
all for one, one for all
united we unfurl the blue marble flag.
Earth Anthem is available in 150 plus languages at https://www.earthanthem.net/p/earth-anthem-by-abhay-k.html?m=1