Poverty has no caste or gender, but it now has a voice in the form of music virtuoso A R Rahman, whose English single "Pray For Me Brother" will be the UN's anthem for its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) campaign.

The MDGs comprise a set of eight promises by world governments to end poverty, hunger and disease by 2015.

After rocking India with his "Vande Mataram", Rahman's first English song, released by Universal Music, is his call to wipe poverty off the face of the earth.

"Poverty and hunger have no religion or gender and this song is to inspire people to do a little bit about the world. We all believe in a creator and even a prayer can change things," Rahman said at the launch here today of "Pray For Me Brother" and its music video.

Explaining the reason for singing the song in English, Rahman said it was like a "statement from India". "If we have a message for the world, English is the best form of expression," he observed.

Music, he pointed out, had the power to change the lives of the people.

"Poverty is the root of all problems like disease and crime," he said.

"Pray For Me Brother" is the world's first music video shot in the mobile cinemascope format to enable suitable viewing by mobile customers.

The video was shot in black and white by Bharatbala of "Vande Mataram" fame. The song was written by Blaaze and composed and sung by Rahman.

The video was launched exclusively on the Nokia N series music edition of mobile phones.