Feeding The Hungry Billion

11:49 english , Hunger , India , Issue , Special , Writeup 0 Comments

                Imagine yourself having all sorts of comfort at your fingertips – a posh building at your disposal, imported sports cars and money enough to purchase all sorts of luxury. One fine morning you wake up and find everything right there, but no food. Yes, you have got water – plenty of it. But shall it be enough to sustain your hunger? No! Or would it? Now imagine the plight if it happens for next few days. Well, one in seven humans around the world faces something similar, except for the fact that they don’t have all the facilities that you just had imagined.

                Oxford defines hunger as ‘a feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by the lack of food, coupled with the desire to eat’. But, it’s something more than the feeling – something that is forceful enough to drive people to do crazy things. These deeds are capable enough to transform humanity into brutality. One such example can be seen in the 2013 Hollywood thriller, “The Colony”. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, the Russian novelist, in his novel, “One day in the life of Evan Denisovich”, has rightly said, ”The belly is an ungrateful wretch, it never remembers past favors, it always wants more tomorrow”.

                Have you ever realized that anything that you do; irrespective of the field you choose is just to satisfy the appetite? From the poor rag picker to a man of wealth, everyone needs food. Yet, it’s astonishing how one walks miles in the search of food and the other walks miles to digest the consumed food. As a matter of fact, the issue is not as small as it seems. In India alone, there are 250 million people who don’t even get proper nutritional food; forget about an active life.

                There indeed are many causes that can be held responsible for this hunger issue. One such cause is inflation. With the rise in the price of various commodities, the rates for food also increase. In fact, poverty, yet another reason, and inflation are interrelated. The rate of increase in the price is higher than the income of the individual; thereby, promoting poverty. These people don’t even have basic amenities needed for survival. Worst, sometimes even a meal is a distant dream.

                At times, natural disasters play the role of a villain in enhancing the problem. The impact can be seen in the most recent quakes that jolted down Nepal and parts of India. Thousands were left stranded, sans food, sans water, sans everything.

                Wars and conflicts have also ensured a position in the foundation of the issue. People not only lose their habitat, but also are left with no food for survival.

                Do you expect the solution to be as simple as writing an article on this subject? No! It’s not a one man’s task. We need to join hands together; to work together. People must be made aware. India has a population of 1.271 billion, out of which seventy percent are above poverty line. If these people work hand in hand to feed at least one starving person a day, the problem can be eradicated from the country. Government initiatives like ‘Aahar’ also prove to be fruitful in curbing the hunger issue.

                “There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.” said Mahatma Gandhi. We can’t be the bread, but at least we can provide it. We need to work as a team to feed the hungry billion. It’s certainly not an easy task, but also not a mammoth task. It might be difficult, but not impossible. I’m ready. Are you?