Trying to Solve World Hunger in 2022
I received the two following videos around Christmas time. Please watch them first
These two Videos are interesting approaches to address Hunger around us.
The first one is about Installing Refrigerators on the streets and asking people tp place excess food in the fridge for the hungry people to eat. If you watch the video carefully you don't see impoverished children but healthy well fed working men, grabbing the food they don't need. and the fridge is not full ever. suggesting it is a one person show not a community affair
Wouldn't it be a better idea to have a refrigerated truck collect the food at one place and drive it to the slums in the cities and make sure starving women and children get fed..? I am not being Critical but being pragmatic
This is a Micro solution to a Macro problem and more a lip service and is not sustainable.
Looks great on Video
The Second video had a Much greater impact on me Comparing a wealthy woman and an impoverished woman feeding their families and how much food gets wasted by the well off.
Growing up as a Rule, my Parents insisted not one morsel of food to be wasted on the Plate. Just take what you can eat not more.
Post war and soon after independence there were no fridges at home. Every night at about 10.00pm, beggars would come with their bowls to collect food and standing in front of our homes saying "Amma Thayae, Pasikku edavadu kudu Thayae" ( Meaning O Mother Please give something for my hunger)
Many of them were Old or Crippled and my mother despite us not being rich (just a retired Govt servants family) Cooked a bit extra to feed the regulars who were like Family to her. Give them food exactly what we ate that night and water and even have a chit chat. The Joy I could see in their faces even as a kid. They were so happy and grateful.
In 2022 most people live in high rise apartments and gated communities in the Metros in India and the truly starving people have no access to receive alms as the watchman will beat them and chase them away.
We have no money for giving alms yet we can take the family to posh and expensive restaurants like the Taj and pay Rs 1500 per head for a meal.
We educated humans have become heartless virtually. We watch news and Videos and shed crocodile tears and carry on with our selfish lives.
I hate wastage and am always eating left overs as my conscience will not permit wastage. I have had may family members argue how does your eating or not eating help the poor starving person and by forcing us to eat everything on our plates you are making us fat and then blaming us for getting fat.
If every household eats what ever is cooked at home and not waste anything, rest assured every household will be cooking just enough to minimise wastage.
If each and every family minimises wastage guess what will happen we will be cooking much smaller quantities and we will be buying much less produce.
If all of us bought less produce the macro effect is that prices will come crashing especially prices of perishables and lower prices means food will reach a lager section of the community.
No One Individual can help eradicate hunger but collectively as a society we can solve the problem.
Better still is for groups of families to adopt schools and provide free meals and delicacies for the poor children even ice cream one a week to make children Happy.
Hats off to TN Chief Minister MGR who introduced the free meals for Govt school Children Great Man May his Soul Rest in Peace.
Also Hats off to Akshaya Patra for the extraordinary service of feeding school children every day of the year.
Despite being extremely crook in Nov 2013, I made it a Point to Visit Akshaya Patra in Bangalore and was most impressed with what I saw
Another Option would be for each and every family say middle income groups to the mega rich were to put aside in a Hundi at Home where each member of the family drops just one Rupee per head per meal. 365 days a year say 4 member family the Hundi will hold Rs 1460. Donate it to organisations like Akshaya Patra who are committed to this kind of service.
Don't Forget Charity begins at home so take care of all your servants and cleaners cooks drivers and their families first like they are part of your family.
Is it fair to pay a maid servant Rs 5000 a Month whilst you can afford to buy Pizzas for the family spending Rs 5000 for one meal ?
Don't get me wrong if the poor are fed in perpetuity then they will accept that as their karma and never strive to get out of poverty.
Yes feed the Man fish if he is starving to death but better teach him how to Fish so he can survive on his own
Food for Thought.
I used to send donation annually to several Charities in Oz but then I realise 65% of funds raised gets spent on management costs and very little reaches the needy.
So My Donations this year onwards will only be for my Favourite Charity Jeevodaya, a Hospice for Terminally Ill Cancer Patients
This reminds me of an incident in 2001. I was returning to Madras after four weeks Rehab in Desiya Ayurvedic Clinic in Kerala. We got to the Railway station early. I walked up to the little shop in the station selling soft drinks biscuits banana chips ice creams etc to get Fanta for ourselves.
At the shop, I noticed four peering baby eyes pleading for something. It reminded me of my son Anand and the grand Birthday Party I had every year for him.
I decided I was going to throw a Party for all these kids at Calicut Railway station that very moment. My sister was confused at first but joined me and we made sure each and every kid and even a few adults who asked were given Mango Juice in a Popper cans and gave large packets to Banana Chips and told them to go sit down and share.
I over heard a man saying "These Bloody NRI's come and spoil these kids" I wanted to give the man a Middle Finger Salute but held back as I did not care about his unsolicited opinion ?
I remember emptying my wallet and also emptying all the cash my sister casj in her handbag and we were both happy and realised we had no money to buy even a coffee on the train journey
I remember writing about this in IITMAA Magazine 20 years ago. Was such a Sweet memory. Never forget the smiles I saw that day in their eyes, and asked God "Is this Fair ??
People (Including my family) spend more on their Cats and dogs yet when it comes to poor kids we can't see them. We are all desensitised and oblivious to reality.
Yes I know you and I cannot eradicate Poverty or Disease, Yet every drop Makes an Ocean.
Charity begins at home and Charity should be in the hearts of Women who have given birth to children if this world is to be a better Place
May be I am Crazy but that is Me.
Amazing Thought for the New Year 2022. Let us all Strive to be "Good Human Beings" and this needs no New Year Resolution just the Will to be good Each and Every Day. Have a Good Day
This is what most Indian Men do
