Gully Boy Track Lay Rejected in a Hard Drive for 2 Years; Just like that Nature is Expressing Now: Dia Mirza

“The pandemic is a Pause, Let’s give Back to Nature,” says Dia Mirza’s Earth Day warriors on #DownToEarthWithDee

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Priyanka Chauhan

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Dia Mirza

The actress’ special guests on Wednesday’s Instalive were Gaur Gopal Das, Nehara Pandey, and Ankur Tewari

If Indians needed a visible sign of how nature responds to man's behavior then the thousands of flamingos that arrived at Sewri's wetlands on the outskirts of Mumbai were one.  Experts say there has been a 25 percent increase in flamingo migration since last year. Just one example of how as human beings stay indoors and pollution levels decrease globally, the earth appears to be finally getting its due.

United Nations Advocate for Sustainable Development Goals, Dia Mirza chose Earth Day to highlight this man-nature relationship on #DownToEarthWithDee on Instagram. The actress celebrated Earth Day with three special guests who in their own different ways are trying to bring some semblance to man’s unsatiated desire to gain supremacy over everything natural – be it the seas, forests, mountains, or wildlife.

Dia’s first guest was well-known motivational speaker and "urban monk" (as he likes to call himself), Gaur Gopal Das. “His messages of positivity helped keep me tuned to the earth’s vibrations,” said Dia.

Das and Dia, both dwelt on human beings’ constant need to consume more than it requires. Das said that the onus of the 'crime' to do so is equally shared - by the industrial revolution which promotes consumerism and individuals who buy more than what they need.  

“Consumerism is not bad if it does not come at the cost of others. But it is time to give back to Mother Nature which looks after us and essentially gives all of us exactly how much we need. This pandemic has given equal rights to all because everyone is going through the same situation. This time has made us more reflective,” said Das.

The conversation, which got great traction online, led to an important subject - the urban conflict. Das said there is no need for people who live in cities to feel guilty. “I am an urban monk and we as urban people have a sense of guilt which we can do away with. What we need to concentrate on is how to reduce what we take from nature.”

To which Dia replied that, “We can do various things to help the earth despite living in urban spaces -  segregating waste, saving water, not using single-use plastic are some.”

The conversation ended with Das saying, "While the earth does not belong to us; we belong to the earth. The pandemic has given a pause and we can see mother nature coming back to its pristine self. When the lockdown ends, I want to walk to the ocean where I stay and see its real beauty.”

Dia’s next guest was 17-year-old Nehara Pandey. Dia chose her because she believes that children are leading the world towards environmental consciousness and “I know Nehara will teach me a lot.”


Nehara is a recipient of the Sanctuary Young Naturalist of the Year award for 2019 and being from Goa is in love with the ocean.  Dia remarked that from an early age Nehara has been campaigning for beach clean-ups.

“Education is the most powerful tool today. And it is important to love and understand the ocean. About 50% of the air we breathe comes from the plankton in the ocean, besides the ocean helps keep the economy going and it also forms part of recreation,” stated Nehara emphatically.

The youngster wants to become a marine biologist and make underwater films. “Without us, nature can regenerate. Many ecosystems support us and we can protect humanity if we support nature.”

Dia added how support for the earth's cause does not come easily.  “Some fifteen years ago when I started to actively give back to nature, there were few people in the film industry who felt the same. Today, from Arjun Kapoor, Alia Bhat to Bhumi Pednekar, all do their bit for the environment and wildlife,” Dia explained  

Ever since the actress started #DownToEarthWithDee three Wednesdays ago, she has been inviting guests every week. Last week, lyricist Swanand Kirkire did a rendition of his poems while wildlife photographer Shaaz Jung shared stories on the black panther.

Dia’s third guest today was music composer & director Ankur Tewari. “His humanity and empathy shine in all his work,” said Dia.

The Kaafir actress began her conversation with the current ‘Survival Revolution’ that the world is facing. “We have to act on climate change right now. Your songs have always been empathetic to the cause,” Dia told Ankur asking further,  “whether songwriting had any connection to nature?”

Ankur had the perfect answer. “If you are not connected to nature you can’t write from the heart. Your songs have to touch people. In layman terms, it is like meditation, where you lose the concept of time and space. Similarly, when you are writing songs, words and music come to you and in a moment you can live a lifetime.”

Ankur added that there is no better teacher than nature. “The industrial age and now the digital age we are living in, is taking us away from it. The rhythm of nature is music. Every solution can be found in nature, especially for emotional problems.”

Dia encouraged Ankur to talk about how and why he wrote his famous song Dhuan Dhuan given its strong message on Air Pollution.

Ankur answered that the song came to him on a taxi ride in Delhi. “Like everyone else I was looking down on my phone and not looking up and when I did look up, I was at the India Gate and it was totally invisible due to smog. That made me think of  a love song about lovers in an apocalypse.”

Ankur and Dia spoke at length on how it is time to speak up and question polluters because the time to remain silent is gone. “Much like the Gully Boy track which lay rejected in a hard drive for two years (Apna Time Ayega) could easily be correlated to what nature is expressing now! And what all those who care enough to speak up and act on climate must be feeling at this time.”  Ankur signed off.

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