Birth Anniversary Tribute to Dadasaheb Phalke - Father of Indian Cinema ( 30April 1870-16 Feb 1944) 

On this day in April, one hundred fifty two years ago - 30th April 1870- was born the father of Indian Cinema, Dhundiraj Govind Phalke (popularly called Dadasaheb Phalke), a man whose creativity, vision and passion for making moving images gave birth to the film industry in India, which has grown to become a multi billion dollar industry today. Dadasaheb Phalke, with the release of his first feature film in India ‘Raja Harishchandra’, which he painstakingly produced in 1913, not only became the Father of Indian Cinema, but also sowed the seeds for a deep-rooted connection between cinema and people of India and so also a cinema culture. This connection, including with the Indian expatriates  all across the globe, has only grown stronger with the passage of time. India  now holds  a unique distinction of producing the maximum number of films in the world in a year.

Cinema is one common connect, alongside cricket, which unites every one in India cutting across age, gender, states, region, religion, language and what have you.  Therefore, it is no wonder that the often used phrase, ‘Unity in Diversity’, which is used for portraying the vibrancy of the Indian Democracy, is exemplified in the common connect of Cinema and Cricket with all Indians. As a country, we are obsessed with cinema and treat cine stars and cricket players as demigods and consume most products that are endorsed by these stars. It is therefore apt that we pay our reverence to the father of Indian cinema, Dadasaheb Phalke, whose 152nd birth anniversary we are celebrating today and to the man who made cinema possible. 

It was on 3rd May 1913 that Dadasaheb Phalke released  his and  India’s first feature film, ‘Raja Harishchandra’, a silent movie in Bombay (now Mumbai). This film, based on the story of the righteous king - Harishchandra- who sacrifices everything to honour his promise, was screened at the Coronation cinema in Girgaum, Bombay. It was reported that a huge crowd had gathered to watch a ‘miracle’ become a reality and come alive in front of their eyes. The film was shot with a moving camera and was made with hand-driven machines, without any studio facilities and by inexperienced technicians and others in every department of filmmaking. Raja Harishchandra was a one-man contribution. The complexity in making this film by Dadasaheb Phalke is evidenced from one of the interview that Phalke gave, where he said ‘I had to teach acting, write the scenarios, do the photography and actual projection too. Nobody knew anything in India about the industry in 1912”, the year when he produced this film with lots of trials and tribulations. Phalke therefore is befittingly entitled to the epithet - Father of Indian Cinema. Interestingly he chose some interesting bylines to invite people to see his film. He wrote “Watch people move in the magic photographs! A picture two miles long! Only three annas!” This is how a magician named Dadasaheb Phalke invited people in the street to come and watch his first film. 

Phalke’s tryst with cinema began with his chance viewing of a silent classic French Film ‘The Life and Passion of Christ’, in 1911. This movie, produced by Ferdinand Zecca in 1903 under the French title ‘Vie et Passion du Christ, succinctly depicted the Biblical story of the birth, death and resurrection of lord Jesus. This film made a lasting impression on Phalke who from his childhood days was influenced by Indian epics and mythological stories of gods and goddesses and other mythological characters, which he had read from his childhood days. The story of Christ that the film portrayed motivated him to imagine portraying such stories of Indian epic gods and goddesses and other characters. He writes about this influence in one of his memoirs : “While The Life of Christ was rolling fast before my physical eyes, I was mentally visualizing the gods, Shri Krishna, Shri Ramachandra, their Gokul and Ayodhya…”. It is therefore no wonder that Phalkey was profoundly influenced by Indian epics, Puranas and mythological stories, which can be seen in his films that he produced later. From Raja Harishchandra to Phalke’s last and only talkie, Gangavataran (1937), most of his 95 plus films drew inspirations from the ancient Indian epic stories, the Puranas and from other Sanskrit literature. 

Although it is now well established and widely believed that Raja Harishchandra, produced by Phalke, was the first Indian feature film there is however some debate on this issue. Some people say that Shree Pundalik, was the first full feature film in India, which was produced by Dadasaheb Torne and was released  in 1912. However, it must be noted that Raja Harishchandra was truly the first indigenous film, which was acted, directed and produced’ by an all-Indian team. Where as Shree Pundalik, was a recorded stage play, which was filmed by a British cameraman and processed in London. Dadasaheb Phalke, in sync with the mood of the nation had proudly asserted, “My films are swadeshi in the sense that the capital, ownership, employees and the stories are all swadeshi.” Therefore, Raja Harishchandra must befittingly be considered as the first Indian cinema and Dadasaheb Phalke the founding father of Indian Cinema.

In the global historical context, the genesis for film making, however, traces its beginning to the development of a technology that resulted in the portrayal of the moving images, an idea which occurred to the genius inventor, Thomas Alva Edison. Edison describes the reason what made him to invent this new technology ‘peep show’ in his quote “The idea occurred to me that it would be possible to devise an instrument which should do for the eye what the phonograph does for the ear”. Ever since there have been constant technological developments in the world of cinema the premiership of which goes to the famous Lumiere Brothers, who were among the first film makers in history. Lumiere brothers patented an improved cinematograph, which in contrast to Thomas Edison's "peepshow" kinetoscope, allowed simultaneous viewing by multiple people. This was the beginning of the cinema, which started in 1895 in France. The Lumiere Brothers came to present their historic cinema in Bombay. On 7th of July 1896 they presented six of their films at the then famous Watson Hotel in Bombay.  This incident of the first film show in India has been immortalised through projection mapping exhibit in the National Museum of Indian Cinema, which I had the honour to be involved in its development alongside the team from NCSM. 

The turn key establishment of the National Museum of Indian Cinema (NMIC), an idea that was mooted some time in late 2009 by the Ministry of I&B in Delhi, when Mr Jawhar Sircar, was the Secretary of both Ministry of Culture and I&B and Ms Ambika Soni was the Cabinet Minister, was tasked to NCSM.  The aim was to develop a dedicated Cinema Museum and launch it in Mumbai in the Films Division premises during the centenary of the Indian Cinema (2013). Unfortunately, that did not happen. However, NCSM was able to develop the first phase of the Cinema museum which was housed in the Gulshan Mahal heritage precinct of Films Division. One of the most attractive feature of this exhibition is a diorama which depicts the scene from Raja Harishchandra and we have a sculpture of Dadasaheb Phalke and part of the Raja Harishchandra film, obtained from the National Archives, is presented in this exhibit. The NMIC in its entirety finally came to light with the magnificent inauguration of the Museum, by the Honourable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi ji, on the 19th January 2019. The Honourable PM spent considerable amount of time visiting all the four exhibition halls in the new building and also the exhibition hall at the Gulshan Mahal. He spent time at the Dadasaheb Phalke exhibit. Yours truly along with couple of my other colleagues from CRTL Kolkata were privileged to witness the historic opening of the Museum in which NCSM has played a pivotal role in the curation and turn key development of the NMIC.

Dadasaheb Phalke was born on 30 April 1870 in Tryambakeshwar, a small town located at the foot of Brahamagiri hill, near Nashik, to an orthodox Marathi Chitpavan Brahmin family. His father, Daji Shastri Phalke was a well known Sankrit scholar. Trimbakeshwar is considered as one of the most sacred places in India and is home to one of the twelve jyotirling. Dadasaheb Phalke’s father was quite well known in the area as an accomplished scholar and therefore Dadasaheb Phalke developed his interest in literature, art and culture from his father. After his initial schooling, Dadasaheb Phalke (Dhundiraj Govind Phalke) moved to Bombay ( now Mumbai) and took his admission at the Sir J. J. School of Arts in 1895 from where he completed a one year course in drawing. He then moved to Kala Bhavan Baroda where he studied sculpture, painting, engineering, photography and drawing. Dadasaheb also had the distinction of working with the painting genius Raja Ravi Verma as an apprentice for some time when the latter was staying in Mumbai. Many students from JJ worked with Raja Ravi Verma during this period that included Dhundiraj Phalke. So influenced was Phalke by Ravi Verma’s paintings, that much like the painter brought to life the images of gods on his canvas, Phalke was determined to bring them alive on screen. Impressed with Dadasaheb Phalke it is said that Ravi Verma had gifted him a costly camera. 

Dadasaheb also tried his hand with the government service and in 1903, he joined the Archeological Survey of India as a draftsman and photographer. However, not satisfied with the job, Phalke resigned in 1906 and set up a printing press at Lonavala under the name of "Phalke Engraving and Printing Works" in partnership with  RG Bhandarkar. Here too luck eluded him and when his partner was changed, Dadasaheb gave up this profession as well. In the meanwhile he had travelled to Germany in connection with his printing press and it is here that he acquainted himself with films. The moment of his tryst with films came when he watched  the film The Life of Christ and the rest what they say is history, which started with Dadasaheb Phalke making his first film Raja Harishchandra in 1912 and it was shown to public at Coronation Cinema in Mumbai on 3 May 1913 for the first time. All the departments for making Raja Harishchandra were handled by Indians and there were no foreigners included. The success of his first movie gave Phalke the confidence of making many more movies. Dadasaheb Phalke made a total of 95 movies and 26 short films during his career spanning 19 years. Some of the other films produced by Phalke include Mohini Bhasmasur (1913), Savitri Satyavan (1914),

Lanka Dahan (1917), Shri Krishna janma (1918), Kaliya Mardan (1919)

Sairandari (1920), and Shakuntala (1920), Bandhan (1932) and Gangavataran (1937). 

He also was instrumental in establishing Hindustan Films, the first film company in India with support from some noted businessmen of Mumbai. The businessmen were taken into partnership so that the finances of the company did not suffer. Phalke created a model studio and also imparted training to various actors as well as technicians. Unfortunately, Hindustan Films studio did not last long. He was a visionary who foresaw the potential of the film medium and also made people realize its cultural and financial worth. Through his relentless commitment and earnest efforts, cinema has become an inevitable part of Indian culture in today’s world.

Dadasaheb Phalke retired and settled in Nashik, where he breathed his last on 16 February 1944. Unfortunately, the man who laid the foundation for film making in India including sowing the seeds for the gigantic film industry of ours spent his last few years in misery and died almost unnoticed far away from the industry in Nasik with hardly a handful of people attending his funeral…

Twenty five years after his death in 1969, the Government of India, befittingly  established ‘Dadasaheb Phalke Award’ to recognize his lifetime contributions to India cinema. This award continues to be recognised as one of the most prestigious awards in Indian cinema. The first Phalke Award was given to the actress Devika Rani.

Interestingly although biopic films are becoming an order of the day with many biopic films that have hit the screen since many years, it took a long time for some one to attempt making a biopic on the legendary Dadasaheb Phalkey. Fortunately Paresh Mokashi, made amends and in the year 2009, he directed a Marathi biopic film on Dadasaheb Phalke under the title ‘Harishchandrachi Factory’.

Long live the legacy of Dadasaheb Phalke.

Happy Birthday (24 April) Sachin Tendulkar - The God of Cricket

In the history of Indian Cricket, no one has had a fan following - more than a billion - larger than Sachin Tendulkar.  Sachin Tendulkar celebrates his 49th birthday today - 24 April 2022 - and on this occasion I am reminded of three Cricket Connects exhibitions ( South Africa, Australia and England), which I had the honour to be associated with as co curator for the South Africa exhibition and as Curator for Australia and England exhibitions. I fondly recollect how we presented Sachin Tendulkar in these three exhibitions, which were developed under the auspices of the cultural exchange program of the Ministry of Culture, between India and these three countries. I also fondly remember an exhibition, ‘Deconstructed Innings - A Tribute to Sachin Tendulkar’, which I had the honour to host at the NGMA Mumbai, when I was the Director of NGMA Mumbai. This exhibition presented an artistically deconstructed innings of Sachin Tendulkar.  Ten eminent artists were chosen by the organisers to interact with Sachin Tendulkar to create art installations in different medium to present a deconstructed innings of the legend, using the language of art and its creativity.

Cricket Fans, not just in India but all across the globe, keep the spirit of Sachin alive long after he has laid his bat to rest. He has connected Indians to cricket and to his own play more than anyone else in the history of this game, which unites all Indians. His performance used to be the reason for whole country's happiness or sadness. Harsha Bhogle, an erudite and highly respected commentator, once said "India sleeps well when Sachin plays well”. The crazy and unsportsmanly attitude of the crowd at the Eden Garden during the semi-final world cup match against Sri Lanka after Sachin was out stands testimony to the dependence of the cricket fans on Sachin.

For the ‘Cricket Connects - India Australia’ exhibition, which was presented at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Australia, I had chosen a common connect that the two countries share in cricket - Hero Worship. Australia idolizes and worships Sir Don Bradman - whose achievements remain unparalleled and near impossible - as their hero. Sachin Tendulkar, who himself is a hero worshipper of the legendary Don, is similarly idolised and hero worshipped by Indians all across the globe. This section was covered under the heading ‘ The God (Sachin Tendulkar) and the Gods God ( Don Bradman)’.  In the 1930's, with the country in deep economic depression and still grieving for the thousands killed in World War I, Bradman's achievements were a cause for Australian National pride. The spirit of the Don is evidenced from a statement by the former Prime Minister of Australia, John

Howard, a cricket lover, who, during his visit to Sir Donald a few days before his death, said ''He had a great impact on Australian life, especially during the desperate years of the Depression. His prowess on the cricket field lifted the hopes and spirits of the people, who at times felt they had little else.''

 

The Nobel Laureate, Nelson Mandela, also the recipient of the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian honour of India, was an avid follower of the Bradman. One of Mandela’s first questions to the former Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser, when Fraser met him in Cape Town’s Polls Moor Prison in 1986, was, “Tell me, Mr Fraser is Donald Bradman still alive?” Such was the charm and following of Bradman all across the globe. Four years later, when Mandela was released from the prison, Fraser handed over Don’s signed bat for Mandela, which read “To Nelson Mandela in recognition of a great unfinished innings – Don Bradman".

Sachin Tendulkar is to India what Bradman has been to Australia. Sachin has carried the hopes and aspirations of one billion plus Indian cricket fans for all of 23 long years that he played the game. Sachin’s unparallel achievements and his simplicity and humility have aided his cricket fans to placing him on a God’s pedestal. This was evidenced in one of the beautiful art installations which was featured in the exhibition at NGMA Mumbai. Sachin’s fan following and his reverential position was mirrored in the painting titled “Arrival of a Cricket God” by Manjunath Kamath. This work formed a part of an exhibition “Deconstructed Innings: A tribute to Sachin Tendulkar” that was exhibited at the premier art institute of the country the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Mumbai. The artist essays the birth of Sachin to be an auspicious occasion where little Sachin is blessed by the mythical godly figures. The artist draws his inspiration from Indian Calendar Art, popular culture, and epics to celebrate the legendary stature of Sachin Tendulkar and presents a visual imagery, which includes metaphoric mythical elements that is juxtaposed with the childhood image of Sachin’s arrival at the centre. There is also a book titled “If Cricket is Religion, Sachin is God” written by Vijay Santhanam and S B Subramanyam, which also juxtaposes the position of Cricket and Sachin for Indians.

When was Sachin played for India, more often than not, India’s chances for success rested on his shoulders. Entire stadium erupted at the very sight of seeing the little master walk out to the wicket from the pavilion and the very crowd entered into a deadly silence, and often emptying the stands, when the bowler got the better of Sachin. Sachin was born in Mumbai, on 24April, 1973 in Dadar. Shivaji Park where the last rites of Lata Mangeshkar - one of the who’s who of India who were the fans of Sachin Tendulkar - were performed was also the place where Sachin played cricket. The city of Mumbai and so also Dadar has a very rich cricket history. In another art work titled “The City of Dreams” exhibited at NGMA,  Artist – Remen Chopra, presented a sculptural representation of Sachin’s Cricket career, in a skyline of his city of dreams - Mumbai - that is symbolic of his unprecedented achievements on the field.

Many of Sachin’s fans have come dangerously close to believing that Tendulkar is/was God. Certainly much of Tendulkar’s batting seemed like a gift from above. But the impression short-changes him for no one worked harder to hone his natural talent. Sachin, who is a devout Hindu, does not like the comparison to God. In one of his recent interaction with his adoring fans he said that he "is not a god as he makes mistakes and gods do not", but that had little impact on many of his fans. Every 'God' has his share of non-believers. The great Sachin too had some. Some critics started writing his epithet when he was past 35. He bounced back and proved his critics - who

had coined a new phrase ‘End’ulkar, to signal the end of Tendulkar, wrong. At the age of 37, he had his most fertile year (2010); scoring more than 1500 Test runs in a year and also achieved a feat not witnessed until that point of time in cricketing history, a double century in an ODI.

Among his innumerable fans, one man, Mr Sudhir Chaudhary, from Odisha is conspicuous. He used to be seen with his whole body painted with the colours of the national flag and at the bottom were the three golden words: 'the god of cricket'. Like a true disciple, he has followed Tendulkar wherever he went.  Likewise there are several other diehard fans of Sachin who are equally passionate about their idol, including one Mr.Manu Singh, from Australia, Pavan Kumar from Hyderabad and Hasnain Masood from UAE, who continue to keep the spirit of Sachin alive. The exhibition “Deconstructed Innings” at the NGMA is an outcome of the reverence that Indians have

for their idol.

Sachin’s great deeds were foretold when he was still a boy, the lofty predictions scarcely allowing for sport’s inherent caprice. And incredibly, beginning with the debut series in 1989, the legend has fulfilled all but the wildest of predictions. The pressure to succeed every single time, the claustrophobia that comes with every little action being scrutinised can

scarcely be conceived. And yet Tendulkar wore it with lightness and dignity, making brilliance a commonplace and unremarkable.

Sachin has been bestowed with innumerable recognition honours and awards including the coveted Bharat Ratna, which he received in February 2014. Alongside all his accolades Sachin Tendulkar has preserved his treasured honour, which comprises a set of thirteen coins he earned from his coach – Ramakant Achrekar. These special coins were depicted in a art work titled “Treasure Box” by Trilochan Anand, in the NGMA Mumbai exhibition.

At the World Cups, Sachin was more prolific than anywhere else. His total tally at the World Cups (2278 Runs) is 30.6% greater than his closest and arch rival Ricky Ponting (1743 runs). And if you think he has played more, he has played 1 match less than Ponting in WCs. Sachin has to his credit 6 centuries and 21 half tons in World Cup. Sachin’s achievements can best be summarised in the words of Ponting who wrote in his forward for a book titled Tendulkar in Wisden: An Anthology, “For me, he's the greatest batsman after Don Bradman. While I hold Brian Lara in high regard, because of his match winning ability, I don't think any batsman can achieve more out of the game than Sachin has".

Sachin also has to his credit an unprecedented record of scoring 100 hundreds in international matches. He has played in a record 200 Tests and he continues to be the highest scorer in both Tests and ODI. He also ho,da several other records, which are hard to conquer. Sachin however had to wait for a long time to get to his 100th hundred. He says “When I got to my 100th international century, I was not jumping or celebrating. My first question to God was why did it take so long? What did I do wrong? With a billion plus people waiting for this, it shouldn’t have taken so long”.

Sachin played 664 international matches in 24 years. It means around 27.67 matches per year and still maintained an average of approximately 44 and 54 in ODIs and Tests respectively. Although Sachin’s average is less than Bradman’s, the matches that Sachin Tendulkar played are way higher and so also the pressure and fan expectations under which he played the games. His consistency, keeping in mind his longevity in the game, the varying opponents and conditions, is probably the best at the international stage.

 

Cricket is said to be a game dominated by the batsmen. Although the argument is debatable, it seems more than partially true to the naked eye. Our human mind is programmed to relate and picturise events, ideas, objects and persons. So whenever the word 'batsman' pops up, we either relate to Sachin Tendulkar or Sir Donald Bradman.

 

Cricket to Sachin was not just a game but a 'word of God’. He is the reason cricket has become like a religion in India and every child in the 90s was born with an innate passion for cricket. Today as Sachin celebrates his 49th birthday here is wishing him a very happy birthday. May you continue up to inspire millions and may you co to use to be remembered. 

Earth Day ( 22nd April, 2022) : Invest in our Planet.

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.”

― Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder

The Earth Day network, which spearheads the worlds largest environmental movement and leads the commemoration of the ‘World Earth Day’, succinctly defines the importance of this day. It emphasises that ‘this is the moment to change it all — the business climate, the political climate, and how we take action on climate. Now is the time for the unstoppable courage to preserve and protect our health, our families, our livelihoods… together, we must Invest In Our Planet’. 

The significance of the Earth Day (22 April) can be appreciated when we look at the singularity of the position of our planet earth in our universe, which is the only known celestial body which harbours life. This is profoundly evidenced in an excerpt taken from that famous Carl Sagan book - Pale Blue Dot. It highlights Earth’s insignificant, yet profound position in the vast universe, which we are home to. The ‘Pale Blue Dot’ passage and the accompanying narration by Carl Sagan was inspired by an iconic image of the earth that was taken by space Voyager 1 on that historic day - 14 February,1990 - as the Voyager spacecraft was moving out of our planetary neighbourhood. At the ‘behest’ of Carl Sagan, NASA scientists commanded their Voyager 1 to turn around for one last look at the earth to capture the image of our home planet. Voyager 1 was about 6.4 billion kilometers away from our earth, and approximately 32 degrees above the ecliptic plane, when it captured the historic portrait of our planet - Pale Blue Dot, which is seen webbed in the center of a scattered light rays.  Our Earth appears as a tiny point of light - a crescent - only 0.12 pixel in size.

Notwithstanding the ridiculously insignificant size of our earth - a speck of dust in the unending cosmos - in comparison with the vast universe, yet, our ‘Pale Blue Dot’ is the only known source of celestial body in the universe, which harbours life, as we know it today. It is therefore incumbent upon us - its prime inhabitants, the humans - to invest in our Planet and in that sense commemoration of the ‘ Earth Day’ augurs well for the green and prosperous future of our earth. Therefore, the theme for this years World Earth Day -  Invest in our Planet - is apt since it strives to highlight how everyone can invest their time and energy to be a part of the change, which is so very essential for saving our planet. 

Over the past 52 years, the people and countries who have been involved with the World Earth Day has expanded vastly. It is now estimated that over one billion people take part in Earth Day festivities in 192 countries. This day must remind us - particularly the world leaders - that we all have a single common enemy - Climate Change - and therefore we must all unite to focus our collective energy and efforts in accelerating solutions to combat the climate change menace - largely a human construct- and to activate everyone – governments, citizens, and businesses – to commit to this cause under a banner ‘Everyone accounted for, and everyone accountable’. It is time for us to push aside the barriers and/or crevices of any kind between nations and move forward with an objective of marching away from the pollution driven ‘dirty’ fossil fuel economy and other associated old technologies - that are driven by fossil fuel-  in the past centuries and redirect our attention to creating a 21st century with clean and green economy that brings back the health of our planet, protects our species, and provides opportunities for all inhabitants of planet earth befitting maintaining Sustainable Development Goals. 

Speaking of bringing back health of planet to protect our species and to provide opportunities for all, one is reminded of Ms. Rachel Carson, an author - spinster and an alleged lesbian - who fought all odds of personal attacks and gender discrimination to bring to focus environmental impact, which later became a beacon for her followers to take to activism in support of environmental concerns for Earth. Her efforts provided that much needed impetus for the declaration and commemoration of the World Earth Day, which we are now celebrating. The publication of Rachel Carson's book "Silent Spring" (1962) highlighted the dark sides of the environmental effect of chemicals, which were rampantly being abused across the world. She wrote this book to alert the world to the poisonous legacy of excess use and abuse of pesticides (DDT). Her book is often considered as a cornerstone in the conservation movement and environmental activism for creating a worldwide awareness of ecological systems. The book earned her a posthumous presidential medal in US, even as she was made to endear vitriolic attacks from the chemical industry lobby, who were up in arms against her criticism of their thriving industry. The book reminded people that all human commerce has consequences that must be considered carefully; and that watchfulness is democracy's surest defence. 

Ms Rachel Carson is considered as one of the finest nature writer of the 20th century, and is remembered today as the woman who challenged the notion that humans could obtain mastery over nature by chemicals, bombs and space travel. She is also remembered for her studies of ocean life. Her best-selling book, ‘Silent Spring’, attracted cynicism as well as support from different corners including getting noticed by John F Kennedy, President, thus leading to the mobilisation of activism in environmental movement. Her book and her environmental activism helped Government entities  to study environmental issues and come out with regulations to govern environmental problems. She relied on scientific facts in her remorseless presentations to strike home her strong message. Her critics labelled her as hysterical and unscientific, yet she remained undeterred. Today her trials and tribulations for combating pollution and climate change, which she believed were impacting planet earth and its life species have been recognised. 

The genesis of the World Earth Day - 22 April  - goes back to 1969 when US Senator, Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin, started expressing his deep concerns over, what he described as ‘deteriorating environmental conditions’. He noticed adverse impact that a massive oil spill had on the marine life, in Santa Barbara, California and so also the impact of carbon emissions from vehicular exhausts, which were causing air pollution. He realised how important it is to create public awareness on pollution and environmental issues. He therefore chose college students as mother earths brand ambassadors and selected April 22, a relatively free date for college students, for the “teach-in on college campuses to the national media” program. He persuaded Pete McCloskey, a Republican Congressman, to serve as his co-chair. Both of them recruited a young activist Denis Hayes, to organize the campus teach-ins.  This program turned out to be a path breaking event, which led to the national consciousnesses on environmental issues and this movement attracted some 20 million people - 10% of American population - who took part in the first Earth Day celebrations that were held across cities in US on the 22nd April 1970. Ever since, this day is celebrated as the Earth Day.

This environmental awakening movement soon caught the attention of students across US and so also the imagination of key people, which helped in creating national consciousness on the ill effects of air and water pollution on our health and also on the environment. The participants in this campaign took to the streets, thronged the college campuses, parks and this movement spread from city to city. All the participants in this environment activism had just one message to communicate - save our planet Earth from pollution and awaken the people against their environmental ignorance so that they could demand from their leaders and administration better conservation measures for our planet Earth - the only habitable planet in the solar system. This people driven movement helped in spreading the message of protecting natural biodiversity and put forth the concern of people over environmental deterioration. This movement also led to the launch of several landmark environmental programmes and laws in the United States including Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. It also helped in creating the all important environmental watch dog - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the US.

The people’s movement in US and the success of the Earth Day celebrations caught the imagination of the people from across the world. In the year 1990, a group of environmental leaders approached Denis Hayes to once again organize another major campaign for planet Earth. This time, the celebration of the Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and leapfrogging environmental issues from the local and state stage onto the world stage. Earth Day 1990 gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the famous 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The Earth Summit is now attended by most global leaders and serves the purpose for collectively addressing environmental concerns.

The massive success of the Earth Day in 1990 and the subsequent formation of the UN Earth Summit inspired activists to start several such environmental movements across the globe. Most countries eventually adopted laws to safeguard the environment. Over the next two decades, Earth Day Network increased its spread to hundreds of millions of people, who were all involved in this environmental campaign and movement. This created opportunities for civic engagement and volunteerism. The Earth Day now engages more than 1 billion people every year and has become a major stepping stone for the protection of our planet Earth. Incidentally the significance of the day - 22nd April - is borne out by the fact that this very day was chosen by the United Nations for the signing of the Paris Agreement on climate change, in 2016.

The importance of this years World Earth Day can be appreciated from the the  report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which has warned of severe impacts if the global warming level crosses 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. They have warned that this will lead to the melting of glaciers, droughts and increase in the floods and so also the extinction of some of the species. The global warming will lead to the heat waves becoming intense, leading to the change in weather patterns, which unfortunately we have started witnessing. This year, as we celebrate the World Earth Day under the theme ‘ Invest in our Planet ‘, it is time for us individually to commit ourselves to investing our time and energy in saving our planet. 

From simple lifestyle changes to driving local or national climate policy, every one of us has the potential to contribute to mitigating climate change that has impacted our planet. As the world came to a screeching halt during the pandemic period, this Earth Day must remind us that the time is ripe to rethink about the future of planet Earth. I hope that through our experience of the Covid pandemic, we will learn that it is far better to preempt a global problem when we see it on the horizon than start planning for combating it when it engulfs us. This is a lesson that we must apply to the challenge of global climate change, which also threatens hundreds of millions of people, as does the Covid 19. The Covid 19 has also taught us lessons that global challenges require globally coordinated responses. And this coming togetherness of the world leaders will definitely augur well for combating the deadly climate change, which like the Corona virus appears to be invisible yet reveals tell tale signs of its impact for us to take note of and preempt its adverse effects on our pale blue planet.

On this World Earth Day, it is time to remind ourselves of what damage we have done to our Mother Earth and to relook at that historic initiative which was started in 1970 that has now become a global movement and take this movement a notch higher for benefitting our Mother Earth.

Long live India and long live planet Earth.

Images - Courtesy Wiki Commons, Earth Reminders.com and Columbia Climate School.