Nalanda-born diplomat writes anthem on Moon

PATNA: Nalanda-born diplomat-turned-poet Abhay Kumar has now penned down ‘Moon Anthem’ to celebrate the launch and near success of ISRO’s Chandrayaan II mission. The anthem revolves around the special relationship between the Earth and the Moon.

Abhay started writing the anthem in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, soon after the Chandrayaan II undertook its journey to the Moon.

“It took me around 30 days to complete the anthem. To make it perfect and musically correct, I wrote several drafts so that it can be sung with true imagination,” he told this newspaper over the phone from Antananarivo, Madagascar.

Asked what inspired him to write Moon Anthem, Abhay, who is India’s ambassador to Comoros and Madagascar, said he wished to describe the special relationship between the Moon and the Earth in a beautiful manner. “Since time immemorial, people are dependent on Moon. Even our calendars are prepared according to the rotation of the Moon. Life on the Earth exists because of many reasons which also include the Moon’s stabilising effects and its gravitational pull,” he said.

Abhay added, “The second reason was to celebrate the success of Chandrayaan II because I started writing as soon as it took off from the Earth.”

On the ISRO losing communication with Vikram lander, Abhay said minor hiccups occur in such big scientific projects. “Scientists at ISRO have achieved a milestone,” he said.

Abhay’s anthem will soon be released in a musical composition. It is being composed by the renowned violinist and composer L Subramaniam. Indian playback singer Kavita Krishnamurthy will sing the anthem.

Earlier, the diplomat had written ‘Earth Anthem’, which has been translated in over 50 different languages and sung worldwide. He also wrote several poems related to the Moon.