Today morning someone had sent me a video of a hungry child looking for food at street stalls. As he has no money he waits and watches and waits for some kind of luck to lay his hands on some of the finest street food, like samosas, pani puri, jalebi, etc. After long hours of wait, a jalebi falls off from a vendor's hand while he is packing some for a customer. This boy picks that jalebi fallen on the road, runs away from the street, tears a poster on a wall, wraps the jalebi in a part of that paper and runs as fast as he can. Through lanes and by-lanes, avoiding bicycles, street dogs, potholes and stones...runs as if he is going to miss a train...only to reach a small one room living space where a younger toddler - his brother is waiting for him with anticipation. This young boy feeds his kid brother and feels happy about it but tears start rolling down his cheek when he sees that that toddler is trying to feed him as well. An amazing story of many a homes in India. Poverty is still there! Just that the way poverty is being depicted has changed.
The most basic of feelings that life provides is "Hunger" - "Hunger is a sensation that represents the physiological need to eat food."
From rats to Humans, from a tadpole to a Whale, hunger leads the way the species develops. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if there was no sensation of hunger, would the fittest fight hard to survive, would Charles Darwin rewrite his theory of natural selection and survival of the fittest --- will it have any meaning at all?
We have reached a condition in the world where there is surplus in every field. When we have surplus of nuclear power we try to share it, when there is surplus of manpower, we share it.
What are we doing with the surplus of food and water we have as a human race?
Is there no way that all the brilliant leaders of the world including our beloved PM (whom I happen to admire by the way) come together to ensure no child goes waiting for hours to ensure something falls off a vendor's hands to ensure his tiny toddling brother gets something to eat?
I am aware of a food helpline but is there anyone who uses it regularly or makes everyone aware of how to actually use it...?
Cant we pool up all our resources and ensure we provide food every day to one in need?
Ice Bucket and Rice bucket have proven to be short lived internet fancy challenges...can we have a world hunger free challenge...where all of us (starting with me) can contribute a portion of the food we eat to the extremely hungry...can the governments just ensure that a mechanism exists to ensure there is no one who goes hungry in the world...
Is it too much to ask to spare some food to ensure that hunger doesn't destroy people?
Yes - Hunger if not dealt with in the right manner can lead to several social issues both individually and as a group...so much so that it can drive the entire section of the society crazy...if one recollects RK Narayan's Guide - the part where people are ready to kill each other to fulfil their hunger and thirst - you will understand the dangers that hunger provides.
That's fiction, but even in reality most law students will know the Queen v Dudley and Stephens case where a little boy is killed and eaten by sailors to ensure they live, when trapped in the middle of nowhere --- HUNGER makes humans do strange things which no one can imagine.
My sincere appeal is to see that the hungry dont go neglected - we don't want to make Dudleys and Stephens out of everyone. I am sure "acche din ayenge" but before the true good times begin, can some interim mechanism be made to ensure that the issue of hunger is addressed properly.
Lets wait and watch - meanwhile I am going to the temple in the opposite street to give some food to the hungry...do your bit!
Cheers!
The most basic of feelings that life provides is "Hunger" - "Hunger is a sensation that represents the physiological need to eat food."
From rats to Humans, from a tadpole to a Whale, hunger leads the way the species develops. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if there was no sensation of hunger, would the fittest fight hard to survive, would Charles Darwin rewrite his theory of natural selection and survival of the fittest --- will it have any meaning at all?
We have reached a condition in the world where there is surplus in every field. When we have surplus of nuclear power we try to share it, when there is surplus of manpower, we share it.
What are we doing with the surplus of food and water we have as a human race?
Is there no way that all the brilliant leaders of the world including our beloved PM (whom I happen to admire by the way) come together to ensure no child goes waiting for hours to ensure something falls off a vendor's hands to ensure his tiny toddling brother gets something to eat?
I am aware of a food helpline but is there anyone who uses it regularly or makes everyone aware of how to actually use it...?
Cant we pool up all our resources and ensure we provide food every day to one in need?
Ice Bucket and Rice bucket have proven to be short lived internet fancy challenges...can we have a world hunger free challenge...where all of us (starting with me) can contribute a portion of the food we eat to the extremely hungry...can the governments just ensure that a mechanism exists to ensure there is no one who goes hungry in the world...
Is it too much to ask to spare some food to ensure that hunger doesn't destroy people?
Yes - Hunger if not dealt with in the right manner can lead to several social issues both individually and as a group...so much so that it can drive the entire section of the society crazy...if one recollects RK Narayan's Guide - the part where people are ready to kill each other to fulfil their hunger and thirst - you will understand the dangers that hunger provides.
That's fiction, but even in reality most law students will know the Queen v Dudley and Stephens case where a little boy is killed and eaten by sailors to ensure they live, when trapped in the middle of nowhere --- HUNGER makes humans do strange things which no one can imagine.
My sincere appeal is to see that the hungry dont go neglected - we don't want to make Dudleys and Stephens out of everyone. I am sure "acche din ayenge" but before the true good times begin, can some interim mechanism be made to ensure that the issue of hunger is addressed properly.
Lets wait and watch - meanwhile I am going to the temple in the opposite street to give some food to the hungry...do your bit!
Cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment