This year’s WorldEnvironmentDay theme is “Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future”
Who better embody these values, than our Adivasi forefathers and foremothers? In a few days, we will observe our great Adivasi leader Birsa Munda’s Shahid Diwas. A legacy that continues to inspire Adivasi and NT-DNT (Nomadic and De-Notified Tribes) communities across India, and a legacy that should in fact inspire every Indian.
Adivasi and Nomadic indigenous communities continue to hold deep knowledge about nature, climate equilibrium, and human resilience that the world needs to take guidance from. Despite deep gaps in their access to constitutional rights and government schemes, Adivasi communities continue their struggle to protect forests, nature-protective cultures, and traditional rights. They have preserved their rich traditions, unity, and resilience through generations. The ideals of Birsa Munda, Gaura Devi, Tilka Manjhi, Phulo and Jhano Murmu, and right back to our great ancestor Nirutti – who is said to have invented agriculture – of self respect, environmental dignity and co-existence – remain a guiding force for our empowerment and social progress.
Let us today remember these leaders of #EnvironmentalJustice, and that the dignity and protection of nature can only be ensured with the protection and respect of voices and rights of tribal and indigenous communities.