Revive Our Earth, Rekindle Our Bharat: India's Sacred War for the Planet

On June 5, 2025, the world observes World Environment Day under the theme "Our Land, Our Future." For India, this is far more than an annual observance-it is a sacred battle cry.

- MAHADEEP SINGH JAMWAL

With nearly 30% of our land facing degradation and desertification, and millions already displaced or distressed, the crisis is not a forecast-it is our living reality. From parched fields in Bundelkhand to receding riverbanks in the northeast, from poisoned lakes in urban centers to shrinking forest belts in central India, the wounds of environmental neglect are bleeding across Bharat Mata.

In Indian tradition, land is not just an economic asset-it is an embodiment of divinity. The Atharva Veda reverently proclaims, "M?t? bhimi? putro aham påthivy?"-the Earth is our mother, and we are her sons and daughters. This is not poetic sentiment; it forms the cornerstone of India's environmental philosophy. Nature is not meant to be conquered but to be coexisted with. The rivers we bathe in are sacred. The forests we walk through are sanctuaries of the divine. Even the air we breathe is invoked in our morning prayers.